Modern Love
by sanctum-c
Summary: Aeris leaned into him and for a heart-stopping moment Cloud thought she was going to kiss him. The moment passed and instead her lips drew level with his ear; he felt an odd mixture of relief and disappointment. She was so close he could smell her; the scent of dirt and flowers clung to her skin. Moments of Cloud and Aeris's unconventional relationship. Full updates on Ao3 only.
1. Elmyra's House

**A/N:** I owe a tremendous debt to ariescelestial for asking the question that inspired this fic, discussing the ideas, suggesting the title (which was miles better than anything I came up with. There was also the exchange of increasingly silly euphemisms for possible titles (which she also won because I could not possible top "In Which Aerith Shows Cloud the Promised Land")) and reading the earlier drafts, correcting my grammar and telling me when things simply weren't working. The question ariescelestial posed was essentially: Could Cloud and Aerith have sex during the events of _Final Fantasy VII_ without derailing canon? After a bit of debate, we agreed it was plausible but had to be handled a specific way and the rest of the party could not know it was happening.

The fic is designed as a canon-splice (fitting into the game's storyline unless specifically depicted otherwise), but also ignores most of the Compilation additions (official time-line, _Crisis Core_ and _Before Crisis_).

This version of the fic has been slightly censored and only some of the complete chapters will be posted here. For the rest of the fic, please visit my Ao3 page (there is a link on my profile)

* * *

Aeris stood with a mischievous smile as she told him they would be going through Sector Six the next morning. Cloud nodded, turning to head to his room when she spoke again and took a step towards him. The sight of her was intoxicating. He tried to maintain his mercenary stance but his gaze kept winding up on her neckline where it dipped to expose the swell of her breasts. It was hard to ignore the number of unfastened buttons on her dress and how much bare skin it exposed when she moved. Even her eyes had trapped him; emerald-green irises arrested his attention and it was near impossible to look away.

Now she was in his personal space, her face next to his. Her chest was closer than expected, the delicious sight of her cleavage irresistible. Aeris leaned into him and for a heart-stopping moment Cloud thought she was going to kiss him. The moment passed and instead her lips drew level with his ear; he felt an odd mixture of relief and disappointment. She was so close he could smell her; the scent of dirt and flowers clung to her skin.

"It's a shame Mom is in this evening," she said, just above a whisper. "Otherwise we could have had some fun together. If you'd like... Cloud." Warm breath tickled his ear, his blood pulsed and he hardened as his mind scrambled to parse the words. He tried to discern if she was implying what his snap interpretation indicated. He turned his head and her eyes slid to meet his, her smile quirking a little more. "Maybe if you slept in a bit in the morning, after Mom goes to work... Well, then we could see about relaxing a bit before we get you back to your friends."

Her words were strengthening his arousal and he hoped she would not notice it through his uniform. What should he say? What could he say in this situation? Did she mean it or was she just teasing? How had he reacted last time he had received an offer like this? It seemed so long ago, the memory hazy. His mouth went dry, and he looked away trying to gather his thoughts as she stepped back. Did her eyes dip just then? Had she glanced towards his belt just as he looked back at her? If she did notice his arousal she made no comment and instead walked to the stairs, pausing on the top step. "Sector Six is dangerous. You'd better get some rest tonight," she said, louder than a moment before.

Cloud nodded with awkward movements as she smiled over her shoulder and bade him goodnight. He watched as she descended the stairs and glanced downwards to see if he had given himself away. Was the bulge too obvious? Too late now. He sighed before entering the spare room and pushing the door closed behind him. His mind still churned with her offer as he sat on the bed. She could not have been suggesting they have sex could she? He fidgeted, trying to banish the fantasies that began playing out in his head. Unbuttoning the pink dress and exposing more of her skin. The feel of her skin on his. Sliding her underwear down her legs, now reaching between them and-.

No! He slammed a fist onto his leg. The pain helped for a moment and he concentrated on it. He had to stop thinking about this. Pleasuring himself was right out; he was in a spare room in a stranger's house. How mortifying would it be if either of the women heard him, or one of them burst into the room without warning. Nerve-wracking visions of a horrified Elmyra filled his head as she entered to find him with his pants around his ankles. That could only end with her chasing him from the house with a broom. He lay down on the bed, focusing on the ceiling. Aeris appeared unbidden in his mind; trying to think of something else seemed futile. His gaze roved around the unfamiliar, cramped room. There was nothing here besides an old sofa taking up most of the floor space.

There was nothing to do, he felt horny, he wanted to get moving but he couldn't even risk heading out on his own for a good few hours. He thought back, trying to recall other memories to distract from the far too appealing imaginings of Aeris. But everything seemed to slip away as he concentrated. There seemed to be nothing in his head aside from those vivid memories of fire and the concerned face of Tifa when she found him at the station. Focus on Tifa; he needed to get back to her and Barret. He would wait for the flower girl and her mother to go to sleep and then make his way back to Avalanche alone. Like he had promised Elmyra, he would not let get Aeris mixed up with him.

The bed beneath him was soft and a wave of exhaustion washed over him. How long had it been since he had last slept in a bed like this? Too long. His eyelids drooped and he felt sure he could risk a few minutes, maybe even a few hours to let Aeris go to bed. His mind latched onto the appealing combination of both 'Aeris' and 'bed'. With a last thought of emerald green eyes, he fell asleep.

* * *

Cloud's eyes blinked open. The last vestiges of his dreams still lingered. How long had it been since he had last thought of his mother? Her words made him smile; he had not liked her suggestion of an older girlfriend back then. But he had only just turned sixteen and had not yet met Aeris. She was older ; it was only by a year but she was still an older girl. The thought dragged up all those wonderful, teasing words Aeris had spoken. The words he'd tried so hard not to think about. He could not think of them now; he had to get moving.

Cloud eased himself up off the bed, thankful the bed-springs were silent. The floors were wooden, and in the interests of stealth, he decided to remove his boots. Straight from his door to the stairs, down those and then out into Sector Five. There was a squeaky floorboard between his room and the next. Likewise he should avoid the third step from the bottom of the staircase. Boots in one hand, and taking a deep breath, Cloud edged the door open, trying to be as quiet as possible. The house was still and silent. Early morning light lit up the interior; unusual for the slums, though unsurprising given the plate gap above them.

By his estimation it was around 5 am. Early enough for the other inhabitants to still be asleep, but cutting things close if the flower girl or her mother rose early. He stepped out into the hall, ears straining for movements within the other two rooms. One was Aeris's and he had a feeling it was the one beside his. He paused, looking at the door. He needed to get back. He had to get back. And yet... No it would not do to tarry here just for the sake of sex. And neither could he risk Aeris getting dragged into Avalanche's business. He'd gotten the flower girl back to her house, safe and sound just as she had requested. And while he had not had the date, he would take the accommodation as payment enough.

Cloud crept forward, stepping over the troublesome floorboard and pausing at the top of the stairs. He listened for movement from the other occupied rooms. Nothing. He descended the stairs with as much haste as he dared. The stone floor of the ground floor was freezing, and Cloud gritted his teeth as he moved from the final wooden step. He darted across the chill flagstones and then onto the rug in the centre of the room. Stepping over another stretch of cold stone he reached the door. Easing it open, he mouthed a silent apology to Aeris for leaving like this and a thank you for her part in his survival the previous day. The dirt path outside felt warm against his feet after the cold stone. Despite his best efforts the click of the latch sounded far too loud as he pulled the door to. With a last look at the cottage and its oasis of plant-life, he strode into the murkier depths of Sector Five as quick as he could.

* * *

After she bade her Mom goodnight Aeris pushed her door closed and leant against it. She reflected on what she had said to Cloud on the landing. How she had hinted at what she wanted and seen his non-verbal response. She first met him two nights ago in the chaotic aftermath of the Reactor One explosion. She looked into his blue, mako-tinged eyes and later found herself unable to shake the thought of him as she rode the train back to the slums. A smile quirked her lips whenever he appeared in her mind's eye. He had been a real cutie, so appealing and enticing but she was realistic; her thoughts were nothing more then idle fantasy. Especially when it was another SOLDIER.

She had never quite gotten over Zack Fair's disappearance. Never stopped waiting; even as weeks became months. There had been no word, no messages and now years had slid by. She could not believe he was dead; then at least she would have expected some news. Was it a betrayal then? Had he met someone on his mission, found some new partner who appealed to him in a way she never could? Did he have kids now? Zack Fair: family man. Living in a mundane suburb on the upper plates, never sparing a thought to his one-time slum-lover? Stop. Dwelling on that was not going to do her any good. She should hate him. Hate him for abandoning her. But it was difficult to hate Zack Fair, and even now with a Zack-shaped hole in her life, she could not conjure up the emotion. All she had was loss and a desire to know what had happened.

Two days later she still thought Cloud looked cute. He lay slumped and unconscious in amongst her flowers after his dramatic entrance. She found herself wondering what he knew. There was a chance he could tell her what had happened to Zack. He was a SOLDIER; she could just ask him if he knew anything. Even in the absence of official word, there had to be gossip amongst the ranks. She stared up through the shattered timbers to see what was above them. The church sat below the gap in the upper plates and all that lay above them was the hulking mass of the sector's mako reactor. She looked back down at the man in the flowers. What were the chances? After dismissing those little fantasies about him. After accepting the troublesome fact that she neither knew his name, where to find him or how to contact him. After all that, he had fallen right into her lap.

She had watched him as he slumbered, wrelieved he was still breathing. SOLDIERs were hardier then she suspected. It was an hour or two later when he finally showed signs of stirring. Faint groans and almost inaudible whispers attracted her attention. She leaned over as he opened his eyes, smiling at his confusion, explaining where he was and bade him hello again. He remembered meeting her, his words giving the flower girl a pleased thrill. So, while she thought about him, he had been thinking about her?

Then he flipped himself to his feet. The movement stalled her thought processes. The trick was all too familiar. It was one of Zack's favorites for getting up; she had never seen anyone else do it. The move was not in itself evidence of anything; someone could have taught Zack to do it. Cloud could have learned the same way. Maybe it was just a cool thing SOLDIERs could do to impress the girls. The thought amused her. Show off. Just like him. She dismissed the similarity, but then found coincidences kept piling up. Here was an odd turn of phrase she had heard Zack use, there was a familiar nervous tick and a fidget. He reminded her so much of Zack and at the same time was a complete stranger. Maybe all these little details were common to SOLDIERs; she had only known one after all and had no basis for comparison.

But those thoughts evaporated when she looked into his beautiful blue eyes again. Her gaze wandered to the rest of him; his almost feminine face and lithe body. So different from Zack's stockier physique. She wanted to tease the shock of blonde hair between her fingers, and now those little fantasies were growing bolder. What would it be like to run her hands across his bare chest, the two of them naked and her straddling the SOLDIER-. She bit her lip trying to stem the mental images and the effect they were having on her body. She wanted him. She wanted to touch this gorgeous man she kept meeting and she wanted him to touch her. It had been too long since she last had sex.

The Turk's intrusion gave her an opportunity to stay with Cloud. It also gave her the chance to plant the seed of something more between them. He only paused a moment when she promised a date in exchange for his duties as a bodyguard and then nodded in agreement. The swordsman moved with quick, efficient movements as he fended off the Turk's cronies. Together they ran along the church's rafters and out onto the rooftops. They talked, she flirted and he teased. The suave SOLDIER did not see her as fragile; he let her make her own leaps and jumps across the scattered debris they scrambled over. It felt so natural to talk to this man, this SOLDIER.

She almost asked him about Zack. She commented on his eyes and how it related back to that most distinguishable feature of those in SOLDIER. But the question died on her lips as she looked into his eyes again. His pupils ringed with that same band of glowing green that identified his profession. But when he tried to press her on how she knew about mako eyes, she could not respond. She felt a little guilty then; all this comfortable talking, her stray thoughts in the church, her desire. Not only was not looking for a new boyfriend, he was too much like Zack. The similarity put a damper on any thoughts of opening herself up to another, to risk suffering the same hurt again. But; they were both adults, and if he was willing there was no problem in indulging in a physical relationship. She wondered when and how best to broach the subject. Maybe at home if Mom was still out? And if she was, then maybe she could enjoy herself with him. She charged off across the rooftops. And still the desire for him lingered. She found herself fidgeting more and more, trying to dismiss daring imaginings from her mind. As fast as she could she guided him to her house. With a deep breath, she opened the door and found her mother cooking dinner. Her heart sank.

She expected her mother to chase Cloud off immediately, but Elmyra was at least civil to her daughter's bodyguard. She also seemed to turn events in a direction helpful to Aeris's fantasies. Cloud wanted to get back to Sector Seven to meet up with Tifa. A girl he confirmed, but not his girlfriend. Well, no problems with her interest there. Her mother did note the time, and Aeris had to agree that she did not relish the thought of Sector Six when night fell. With Cloud she would have no real worries on the way there, but the way back was another matter. More than likely she would need to find somewhere to crash two Sectors over. But instead of turfing Cloud out of the house, her mom invited him to stay, and that was almost too tempting a situation to pass up.

Aeris made up the spare bed, her heart hammering in her chest, but when Cloud came up the stairs he seemed distracted. Her mother was just downstairs, but she had to make her offer, had to know if she could have her fantasy. She made her hint about what could happen come the morning. He reacted, his pupils dilating as she spoke, his gaze grazing her neckline. She flicked her eyes downward and saw his body respond. Now that was gratifying; she had tempted him. With a smile she bade him goodnight and descended the stairs, giving him at least a chance to sleep.

* * *

She pushed herself up from the door, ears straining for any sounds from the next room; there were none. He was still in there at least. Crossing to her bed she retrieved her contraceptives from the bedside table. She regarded the remaining strip of condoms and the thin blister packs of her birth control; she had more than enough for now. Just as well she hadn't decided to go with Cloud this evening - it might not have been so easy or subtle to sneak these out with her. She pushed them into her jacket pocket and glanced at the wall separating them. As long as Mom didn't wait until he left in the morning to head to work, she could have some fun. She could wait until then. Her mind drifted to the pleasurable possibilities of the next morning even as she grew drowsy.

* * *

The sound of the front door closing woke Aeris. Had that been Cloud leaving ? She strained her ears for further noises, catching the faint crunch of boots on the path outside. Flinging her bed clothes aside she dressed at speed. He was not leaving her behind. She threw open her door and hurried down the stairs, not caring about the noise. Pausing only to snatch her staff up from beside the door, she ran out into Sector Five. She knew the area better than Cloud, knew to take the more secret back-ways and shortcuts to get ahead of the SOLDIER.


	2. Wall Market

Cloud stared at himself in the changing room mirror. He was in a dress shop deep within the Sector Six area known as Wall Market. A custom-made dress of purple silk hung beside him and scattered around his feet were various accessories. He and Aeris had spent the last hour scrounging them from the slum district. They included a blonde wig, a bottle of perfume, a tiara and a pair of black bikini briefs. The last and most embarrassing component was all he was currently wearing. Maybe he should just forgo this last extra piece of disguise; obtaining them had been bad enough. He had no intention of letting anyone look under his skirt under any circumstances, so did he need these too? He looked at his reflection once again.

His face was now beautiful. The girls of the Honeybee Inn had only smirked for a moment when he made his unusual request and set about softening his features. This was the first opportunity he'd had to see the bee girls' impressive handiwork. His time in their dressing room had been distraction after distraction. The girls had shown no embarrassment about the man in their midst, unconcerned that he saw everything as they changed. The revealing clothes and nudity of the Bee Girls had aroused him almost to breaking point. He kept looking away from the near-naked girls only to find yet another mirrored surface that gave him an eyeful of female flesh. As a result the itch in his loins was becoming maddening. He wasn't sure he had ever been quite this horny, and without any way to relieve himself. Every touch from Aeris now excited him, and she delighted in taking his hand or arm as she guided him around the seedy area.

He shook his head. This was no time to be thinking about sex. He had to get Tifa out of Don Corneo's clutches. The stealth approach, while unusual, did reduce the risks of just bursting in through the front doors. But what was Aeris thinking putting herself in danger for a man she had known for less than a day and a girl she did not know at all? Even as he tried to convince her to head home, she wound up chasing after the chocobo cart ferrying Tifa into Wall Market. And how had she come up with the notion that Cloud should cross-dress? He sighed. He could not think about Aeris right now - he had to figure out what they would do after they got into the mansion. An almost welcome, distracting thought occurred to him; the Buster Sword. He could not carry that into Corneo's domain slung over his shoulder or locked to the magnetic harness he wore. They'd need to hide it somewhere and come back for it later.

"Cloud, what's taking you so long-" Cloud looked up to see Aeris pushing open the curtain shielding him from the rest of the shop. He panicked and dropped his hands to his crotch as he turned away from her. Her eyes didn't leave his face but Cloud could feel the flush suffusing his cheeks as he responded.

"A-Aeris... I won't be long."

Aeris pushed her way into the small booth, pulling the curtain straight behind her. "I just thought you could use some more help," she said. "You're not used to dresses or lingerie after all." Cloud nodded, not moving his hands.

"So, I figured I'd help you get ready. And we did forget one thing for you. Here." She held up a bra and handfuls of a squishy material. "Despite your remarkable make-up job, I still think you'd give a better impression with some breasts of your own."

Cloud could only nod, wondering how they had lost sight of something like that yet had bothered to get him panties. He didn't feel able to move, and after a moment Aeris sighed. "Come on, we need to get you ready. We're running out of evening to do this in."

Cloud nodded with reluctance. "What first?"

She smiled at him. "Bra I think. Here." She crossed behind him and pressed into him. His breath caught at the feel of her clothed body against his almost nakedness. Her skin was warm where it touched his own as she passed the garment around him, and hooked it together across his chest. She twisted it around, fingers skimming over his skin, exciting him more. Bra in position, Aeris slipped the straps over Cloud's arms and seated them on his shoulders.

"That okay? Not too tight?"

"I think so," Cloud replied, breathing in and out a few times. "Yeah, that's okay."

"Good. Now for your breasts."

Still behind him, she reached around and pulled the cup away from his skin. Her fingers brushed him as she pressed the bundle of material into the cup. The pads of her fingers kept catching his nipples, sending tiny unfamiliar thrills through his chest. When the same happened with the second fake breast, he realized this could not be accidental. She was teasing him. With a final kneading squeeze, Aeris peered over Cloud's shoulder to check her handiwork.

"Perfect."

She dropped her hands to his waist, but made no move to pull away from him. Cloud enjoyed the feel of her behind him, her breasts pressed into him and the warmth of her skin on his. There was a soft sensation on his left shoulder blade, a brush of even softer skin against his own. Her right hand slipped down a little further, toying with the skin just above his groin.

Cloud sucked in a breath as the teasing fingers stroked his skin. He closed his eyes. He was harder then he'd ever been before and craving release. There was no way Aeris could miss his body's reaction to her now. Her hand moved, sliding along the waistband of the briefs and around onto his back. The warmth of her body faded as he heard Aeris take a step backwards.

"Okay." She sounded a little out of breath. Cloud opened his eyes and her reflected gaze caught his. She looked flushed. "I think you can manage the dress on your own; just be careful not to smudge the make-up. Do you want me to help with the wig?" Her stilted talking smoothed even as Cloud felt at a loss for words.

"N-no. I think I can get that."

She smiled and pushed back through the curtain. As soon as it dropped back, Cloud slumped against the wall. She had come so close to touching him and now he wished she had dropped her to drop her hand just a little lower. He was getting distracted again. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. As enjoyable as it had been, he had a basic issue with hiding his masculinity like this and arousal was not going to help. He took another deep breath, and dropped into a short series of squats to re-centre himself. He softened, the briefs less constrictive and the bulge less obtrusive. Better.

He stepped into the dress, pulling it up and onto his shoulders. He stared; the tailor had known what he was doing when he cut the dress. Cloud's own slim physique helped, but the real achievement was in the seams and lines of the dress. Even without the wig he looked like his hypothetical sister. He pulled the wig on, tucking stray tufts of hair under the elasticated band and balanced the tiara on top. A quick spritz of perfume around himself and the effect was complete. He almost wanted to laugh; Cloud Strife was no longer visible in the mirror.

Taking another deep breath he pushed the curtain open and walked out into the main shop. His eyes caught the delighted face of Aeris.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," said the tailor, eyes watching as he moved.

"You're right." His daugher checked Cloud over. "Should we try and get into this market?"

Her father nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I think we will. That was an interesting challenge."

The girl beamed at Cloud. "Thanks for giving us the inspiration for something new. You can have the dress on the house."

"Thank you," Aeris said as she watched her companion stride. She frowned. "Cloud, walk more nicely. Like this." She walked past him, prompting him to watch the motions of her hips and legs.

"...nicely?" Cloud walked with stiff motions and then with increasing confidence he replicated her movements.

Aeris still looked a little red as she watched him. "You are a cute one Miss Cloud." Her gaze flitted around the room. "I want a dress too. Do you have one that will look good on me?" The shopkeeper and his daughter suggested a few different dresses, before Aeris seized on a shimmery red dress. "This one I think." She paused a moment, before pulling a pair of matching shoes from the floor. "I'm going to try it on. No peeking." Her gaze lingered on Cloud as she spoke and, just before she pushed the curtain closed, she winked at him.

* * *

Aeris winked at Cloud as she pulled the curtain closed. The flower girl would not mind the SOLDIER peeking or helping her change. The thought of his arms around her gave her a pleasurable little shiver. Maybe he would act on her flirting? She paused, but the curtain remained undisturbed. She was not too disappointed; this was not the best place to get hot and heavy. Aeris slipped her jacket off, undid a few buttons on her dress and pulled it over her head. She folded her clothes, smiling at the memory of Cloud's skin.

She gazed at her new dress for a moment, pleased with her choice but now noticed the thin straps. She unhooked her bra and dropped it into the bag alongside her other belongings. Ah, for Cloud to come in right now. She spared another glance towards the curtain, but he failed to appear on cue. With a sigh she removed the dress from its hanger and stepped into it. The material was cool and soft against her skin. It was an unfamiliar, but delicious tactile sensation so unlike her comfortable yet worn sun dress. It clung in just the right places, accenting her chest with the help of the low cut neckline. The slitted skirt ended mid-thigh and swished as she moved, the motion revealing more of her leg. Almost perfect. Looking at herself in the mirror with a critical eye, Aeris decided her braid did not suit the dress. She undid the ribbon, letting the tiny sphere of materia drop into her hand as she teased out the coiled hair. It would have looked better if she had a hairbrush to hand, but she made do with her fingers to comb her hair as straight as possible.

Her hair cascaded down her back in a wild wave. She decided it looked okay as she tugged at a few more knots. She slipped the materia back into the ribbon as she retied it around her hair. Aeris turned to the side watching the way her hair moved and how it looked looked along-side the red dress. Had she chosen this dress just to get inside the mansion, or was this another way of signaling to Cloud just what she wanted from him? She smiled at herself; no harm in it being both. She had already made the decision that he would not slip away from her again, not after he had almost managed it earlier. Back before she got ahead of him and waited at the border of Sector Five. Before they paused in park, and before they'd seen Tifa. She recognised the cart; few in the slums were ignorant of its owner and the fate of those seen ferried away in it. Whatever Cloud's friend had got herself involved in, Aeris was not going to let her get dragged down into the mire the Don ruled over.

She stepped into the new red shoes. Heels were never her first choice of footwear around Midgar, especially when fleeing the Turks. But her boots did not fit with her new dress any more then her braid did. She appraised her completed outfit in the mirror. This would work. Gathering her bag up she pushed open the curtain and walked out into the shop. Cloud stared as she emerged, his eyes trying to avoid her cleavage after first running from her head to her toes and back again.

"So. How do I look?" She asked with a quirking smile and a twirl. Cloud flushed and shook his head. "You're no fun," she said as the owner's daughter let out a quiet breath.

"That dress is really somethin'" she murmured, her father nodding in agreement.

"I love it." Aeris turned and smiled at them both. "Thank you both so much. You've really helped us out." She turned to her companion. "Ready to go Miss Cloud?"

Cloud nodded, concentrating on his movements as they stepped out into the bustling heart of Wall Market. They both got a lot more attention now. Men's heads turned as if drawn by magnets. Eyes flicked to her chest and legs, only then rising to her face. Shouted vulgar compliments accompanied the salacious looks. Cloud did not escape similar attention and despite his discomfort Aeris was somewhat glad. She had been right; Cloud not only passed for a woman - he was now beautiful.

Now they had made themselves far too attractive to the local populace, Aeris wanted to get this rescue over with. Cloud shifted the sword he held in one hand, trying to keep his body between it and any passers by. Several men had already noted the blonde clutching the heavy sword. A few made comments about a less unwieldy weapon they wanted her to hold for them, but their companions ushered them away. There was an assumption on many people's part that they were part of a notorious Shinra associate's entourage. The executive's role-players were often seen in the sector and always given a wide berth. The female SOLDIER with the sword was a new component, but given some of the earlier costumes not surprising. Aeris watched Cloud's brow become furrowed, his fingers twitching on the hilt of the sword.

"I think I need to hide this somewhere," he said, eyes in constant motion amongst the throngs of people.

Aeris smiled. "It does seem a little incongrous. And I certainly don't think we want you demonstrating that you can handle a sword perfectly well before we get in."

Cloud nodded, head twitching away from another barrage of innuendo. Aeris lead him through the sector towards one of the outlying areas. Under normal circumstances she avoided Wall Market if at all possible. On the occasions when she did wind up here, she would not dare stray into the dingier, less trafficked areas. This time she was not alone and had little doubt Cloud could deal with anything they encountered despite his disguise. The throb of music faded and the foot traffic reduced to a few hurrying shapes in the gloom around them. Not a place to dawdle. Cloud surveyed a shadowy corner beside huge red graffiti that towered above them. "This should be fine," he said before lifting the sword and ploughing it deep into the ground. The blade passed without resistance into hardened concrete, a good proportion of the blade now buried.

"Are you sure it'll be safe here?" Aeris glanced at Miss Cloud.

"I think so; as long as another SOLDIER doesn't run across it. Besides, these things are mass produced by Shinra. Seeing one lying around shouldn't alert anyone."

She nodded and as he turned to head for the mansion she stopped him.

"Cloud... Can we... talk a moment?"

He turned, and she couldn't help but admire him as a girl all over again. His perfect physique, his blonde hair, the already feminine face enhanced by make-up. "What is it?"

Aeris drew in a breath and stepped forward. "I like you Cloud. I really like you. I've enjoyed the time we've spent together. Even if you did try and run off." Cloud smiled and ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Aeris, I-"

She took another step and interrupted him. "I meant what I said last night." Her tone was warm as she took a further step. "I wanted you to stall this morning until my mother was gone." A final step and she was right beside him. "I'm not looking for love or commitment, but I do want company. I want to feel good again, and I want you to help me... if you're interested."

Aeris reached out to touch the waist of his dress and then her fingertips darted up to his chest in-between his fake breasts. He had not responded, but his heart was hammering in his chest, and she could just about see the hints of a blush beneath the make-up. His body was already saying 'yes', but she needed him to say it. "Will you help me, Cloud? Will you..." She played coy, hoping it would still coax the response she wanted. "Sleep with me?"

He sucked in a breath, his face fighting a smile that threatened to overwhelm his features. "Yes," he said. Her body reacted, a flush of excitement ignited like fire across her face, sweeping down her neck and onto her chest. A wonderful thrill flooded her belly, and deep within her an itch began craving attention. She needed Cloud to touch her and soon. She smiled back at him.

"Thank you, Cloud." She leaned into him, lips touching his for a second; she nudged them open with her own and darted her tongue into his mouth. Their first kiss. Too brief for her liking as she stepped back, laying a restraining hand on his chest as he tried to lean towards her. "Just for now. Just for now. It wouldn't do to mess up all that make-up before we've rescued Tifa." She reached for his hand, fingers lacing with his. "Once this is over... We'll arrange a time to meet?"

He nodded, his eyes now burning with desire. An eager smile spread across her face as Aeris lead Cloud back into the main part of Wall Market and towards Don Corneo's mansion.

* * *

**A/N: From this point on this fic will only be updated at ao3 - mostly as I'm wary of how explicit it gets. The link to my profile there is on my profile here.**

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**A/N2: It is possible to subscribe/follow on Ao3 as destinykeyblade asked, but I will also update this fic each week when the next chapters are added.  
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	3. Kalm

**A/N: Slight change of plan - partial chapters and non-explicit chapters will be posted here, but to read the full chapter/fic you need to read the version on Ao3.**

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Cloud ducked into the alleyway, his heart racing. Had any of his companions had noticed his detour? Not from what he could see; Tifa and Barret were still heading away from him. Aeris had taken the initiative to organize the party following the previous day's discussions. Red XIII was to scout around the edge of the small town for any clues on Sephiroth's destination. The flower girl gave the others shopping lists of supplies they would need in the wilderness. Cloud had thought no more about it until he opened the folded slip of paper the brunette handed him. Rather than money and a list of items it instead contained a key and said: 'Hi Cloud! Leave with the others, wait five minutes and meet me back in my room. I already sorted things for us! Aeris.' So this was why Aeris had been up first this morning and why she had been waiting downstairs.

The implication of the note sent his pulse rate sky-rocketing again. He could not remember ever being this excited or nervous. He tried to ignore his erection as he darted out of the inn and waited for the time to pass. Five minutes felt like an eternity; the others were long gone and not due to regroup for a hour. Still, he bided his time as directed, waiting those long, agonizing minutes before returning to the inn. He glanced backwards, checking neither Barret or Tifa had wandered too close. Cloud avoided the innkeeper and other straggling guests as he made his way up to the girls' room. Pushing the key into the lock and opening the door sent excitement surging through his stomach.

The room was empty. He felt trapped as a rush of nerves and embarrassment enveloped him. Had he misinterpreted the note somehow? Was this some kind of cruel joke? Had something held Aeris up somewhere? Was she not coming at all? Patience, he told himself. It had only been five minutes. But that left just fifty-five minutes for anything else, and every minute Aeris was late just ate into that time a little more. He swallowed, his right leg jigging as he sat on the bed and tried to take his mind off of the wait. Not easy. There was nothing to do. Nothing to read, nothing to watch, and his mind still surged with anticipation. Relax, relax he told himself. No good. He glanced at his watch. One more minute gone.

How long should he give her before going to look for her? Or perhaps it was better to think of it as show long he should wait before assuming she was not coming at all? Ten minutes? Fifteen? If she was not going to meet him then at least he had to go and get his provisions as it did not seem like she would have gotten them as she claimed. But then he had no idea what he should get. The scrape of a key in the door interrupted his thoughts, and his heart lurched, worried it might be Tifa, or some member of the staff. He hunched forward, ready to move, half-formed excuses now crowding his brain. The lock clicked open and to his immeasurable relief Aeris stepped into the room. Her face brightened into a wider smile and he felt himself smiling in response. Blood rushed to his groin as she locked the door behind her and approached him. He stood, now unsure of what to do. Should he lean forward and kiss her, or would they talk first? Should they kiss or hug or should he just start stripping?

"Hi..." he tried, buying himself just a little more time to sort out his absent memories.


	4. Chocobo Farm

**A/N: As before, this is the edited version of the chapter. For uncut please see Ao3.**

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"Wark?"

Cloud's excitement peaked when they reached the farm with its large pen of Chocobos. He held himself in check, not reaching out to pet the bright-yellow birds though it was hard to draw his attention away from them. Right now he wanted to ignore them, unhappy with the species. This was the third time he had managed to attract a chocobo without meaning to. It was also the first after he made a concerted effort to ensure the chocobo lure materia was inactive and nowhere near him. His feathered admirer was sending his companion into fits of giggles as the large bird jerked its head from side to side behind him. Fits of giggles were not conducive to having sex.

They were apart from the other three. Red XIII had chosen to remain behind at the farm stating he would not be much use for capturing wild chocobo. That left four humans who split into two groups. Since they only had three chocobo lure materia between them, Aeris volunteered herself to go with Cloud. She insisted his hair would be an effective alternate lure. While Barret and Tifa set out to the West of the farm, the other two headed East. Cloud plucked at a strand of blonde hair as they walked and asked Aeris if she thought he would attract chocobos with it. She laughed at the question, telling him she did not think it was that likely. She had been more looking for a reason to get him away from their companions for a short while.

His face flushed and he almost stumbled, his mouth twitching and threatening to break into a grin. He reached out his hand to take hers before stiffening and let his arm drop back to his side. It had been a week since they left Kalm and the two had avoided spending too much time together. Not that they avoided any and all contact; that would have been suspicious all by itself. They would walk together, talk together, sit together, but try to never make it look deliberate or too comfortable. At least that was what he was doing; Aeris seemed only too eager to link arms with him. He did nothing to dissuade it and missed her touch when she let go. She did the same thing to both Barret and Tifa; this was how she was with other humans it seemed. Red XIII she delighted in patting his nose despite his half-hearted attempts to stop her.

Aeris had made no move or encouragement for another coupling since they set out and Cloud had made no attempt to seduce her. It never seemed possible due to the closeness of the group and the constant traveling together. Out here in the wilderness and well away from the others the delay made sense. The lack of privacy had concerned Aeris. As quiet as they might try to be, the sounds of moving bodies, gasps and held breaths would still be audible outside a tent. Even that privacy required both Barret and Red to be absent from his tent. Or that he could somehow get to Aeris's tent unseen and when Tifa was elsewhere. Then there would be the oh so knowing looks the next morning and assumptions about the relationship. How would the situation look to an outsider? When there was a basic physical attraction between them, but Aeris had nixed any possibility of a romance right from the start? She wanted a physical relationship, not an emotional one. Despite that he had almost reached out for her hand so many times now, wanting more physical contact. Even with the subterfuge and the delay he could not say the current arrangement was displeasing.

What magic she had she worked on him in that room in Kalm after he embarrassed himself? She had not judged his failure at pleasing her, instead she reached out to him even as he pulled away and talked to him. Speaking to her was easy, answering her questions about Mary and their time together in Costa del Sol with frank honesty. He had been so skilled that first time. Mary had been all soft skin, panting breath, encircling arms; he had left her both satisfied and begging for more. Despite his certainty the details escaped him. Her skin had been soft, but the tactile memories of her beneath his finger-tips or pressed against him were gone. He had made her pant, moan and beg, but he found himself substituting Aeris's voice in place of Mary's. He had been boastful at losing his virginity and had bragged about it. It felt mortifying to even contemplate doing that now. That trooper about her a year or two later had listened in rapt attention, the memory odd in its vividness contrasted to the others. The poor guy was always suffering motion sickness while in transit, but was a competent grunt in the field. He had been so shy around girls and had never gotten up the nerve to even talk to a single one.

He retained just enough memories of Mary to sate him during former nights. Now in the dark loneliness of the night, he relived the sights and sensations of Aeris straddling him. The sounds of her breathing, the moans that slipped from her mouth as she moved on top of him. The feel of her skin under his hands, her breasts pressed against him, the slick wetness enveloping his cock. To say his hand did not compare was an understatement. Now he was to have an opportunity again. But what to do first? Try to lure a chocobo for capture or get intimate? Aeris took the decision out of his hands by kissing him once they were well out of sight of the farmhouse. His body reacted, a fact that seemed to please her and she ground her hips into his. His hands were on her waist, and if he just reached forward a bit-

"Wark."

That had been chocobo one. It stared at the two humans as they both drew their heads apart to look back at the feathered interloper. The large yellow bird fluffed itself and continued staring.

"Cloud," Aeris said. "Did you activate the chocobo lure already?"

He shifted his arm and caught sight of the glowing sphere in his bangle. "Apparently." His brow furrowed. Was he so eager to see Chocobos he had initiated the lure while he should have only been thinking of Aeris?

She sighed. "Well," she said, dropping her arms away from him. "That's one at least. So what do you reckon? Should we let this one go, or hang on to it?"

"Well-" The chocobo interrupted by nuzzling its large, beaked head against him.

"I think she likes you."

"Seems to." Cloud reached up and ruffled the chocobo's head, the creature warbling with appreciation. "I guess we better hang onto this one. There can't be that many chocobos out here..."

Cloud deposited a few gyashal greens on the grass and secured the chocobo to a nearby tree. If nothing else it reduced messing around in the vague time-frame they had assigned themselves. Aeris stared at the huge bird and asked if she would be okay riding it.

"Should be," Cloud said. "Riding a chocobo can be picked up ridiculously fast and failing that we can just lead it if you don't feel able."

"I'd like to ride one myself if possible," she said. "Still, how about us?"

"Wark?"

Cloud looked at the chocobo. "Maybe somewhere a bit further away from this one?"

She smiled. "Sounds like a good plan."

They kept the caught chocobo in sight as they followed a rough path between scrappy bushes. Aeris turned on her heel and Cloud's lips pressed against something soft. His eyes closed as he surrendered into her kiss. He was still worked up from their earlier interruption, Aeris's hands now pulling at his shirt. His hands slid from her waist to her breasts, cupping them through her dress. He had never had sex outside before. What if they got caught? Some random passerby who happened to see him on top of Aeris, her legs wrapped around his waist would be embarrassing. But if it was one of their party? Red XIII would be shaking his head in bemusement, Barret rolling his eyes, or Tifa-

"Wark."

Cloud's eyes blinked open. Aeris's green eyes stared over his shoulder, and Cloud wondered if he had lured another chocobo or if the first had gotten loose. Standing before them and looking at them with avian confusion was another chocobo.

Aeris pulled his sleeve up and sighed as she spotted the glowing orb. "Well, at least you did catch another one. But maybe you should deactivate the spell this time?"

Cloud nodded as he tickled the chocobo under its beak and slipped the reins around it. Two chocobos within minutes. Was there a record for catching the birds? "Well, at least we have both of them ready now."

"True. Want to put it with the other one and then we'll try again?"

He hardened at her words, not trying to hide his reaction but his face still flushed at his body's eagerness. He trotted away, guiding the now docile bird to the tree where the first chocobo had finished gulping down the pile of greens. Cloud sighed, securing the second bird beside the first and dropping a new pile of greens for the chocobos. He popped the chocobo lure materia from his bracer, the intricacies of the spell dispersing from his mind. Leaving the sphere cradled against a knot on the tree he hurried back to Aeris.

She gazed up at him from the improvised blanket of her jacket, all the buttons of her dress undone and the garment lying open. The black underwear was for him - she was not wearing it because she liked the colour; she intended him to see them. No. That could not be right. Unless Aeris dressed in anticipation of sleeping with him, the choice of black underwear could not be for him. This was the first time Aeris had ever been outside of Midgar and she could not have foreseen the farm. But-

"Cloud?" He blinked and focused on the half-naked girl. "I'm flattered you like me so much you'd quite happily just stare at me like that, but I'd quite like you down here with me. I mean, if you're up for that."

"S-sorry." He flushed, pulling his shirt over his head and kneeling between her legs. Aeris traced a bare toe along his thigh, before curling her leg around him and pulling him closer. He settled between her thighs, weight on his elbows as his face hovered over hers.

"Now, where were we?"

Cloud smiled. "About here?" he said.

"Mmm. Almost. I think your hand was on my breast."

He complied as they kissed again, feeling her tongue slide into his mouth as he tried to mimic the action. Kissing felt easier, more natural, less new. His fingers flexed against her bra, his hand trying to pull it just a bit further away from her skin so he could slip his fingers underneath.

"Wark?"

They both froze. Cloud's eyes flicked open and he pulled a little away from his partner who kept her own eyes closed. "Cloud, you didn't stop the lure did you?"

"I did," he insisted. "I even left the materia behind. Look." He gestured to his arm and she opened her eyes a slit to confirm the empty socket in his bangle.

"Hmm." She leaned her head to the left and began to giggle. "Then we are going to have to face facts: Cloud, I think you actually are a chocobo magnet. And I think we've found your soul-mate."

Cloud turned to look up at the creature looming over them. It looked down at them both with much the same confusion as the other two birds. He sighed. "We definitely don't need three... do we?"

"We might. If Tifa and Barret don't catch at least one each." Her lips curled into a smile as she giggled at the chocobo's darting head.

"True. But we only have two harnesses."

She reached up and ran a hand through his blonde spikes, biting her lip before giggling again. "I'm sorry, but I have this sneaking suspicion she'll follow you back if we lead it."

He sighed as she pushed him back to sit up. "I guess this means... we head back now?"

She was smiling as she began re-buttoning her dress. "It might be for the best. Unless you like getting naked with someone else watching."

He gazed the yellow bird. It stared back ready to make warking commentary on his performance as he thrust into Aeris, each warble making her laugh. And with each laugh his erection would diminish a little more until he wound up disappointing her all over again. Aeris would wind up in outright laughter, not at him, but at the watcher and its confusion over what these two humans were doing. Not a comfortable prospect.

"No, I'm not really one for that," he said.

"Me neither. Let's get the other two back at least. And see if I'm right about the third..."

Cloud ruffled this latest chocobo's feathers as Aeris stood. They wandered back to the two restrained chocobos. "Want me to guide one for you, or do you want to try yourself?"

Aeris stared at the prospective mounts, a finger to her lips before replying. "I'm going to ride it myself. I just need you to give me a leg up to get on."

He nodded, crouching beside the chocobo, cupping his hands to provide her with a step. She swung her leg over the chocobo, exposing her panties with the movement.

"Naughty."

"What?"

She smirked at him. "I saw you looking." Cloud flushed and jerked his head away. "I don't mind you seeing them you know. You've seen me in less."

"I-I know," he said, mumbling his words. She reached down ruffling his hair.

"Come my human chocobo lure. Maybe we'll have another chance at the farm."

He stared at her as she flicked the reins and spurred her mount onwards. The chocobo veered a touch, before she tugged on the reins and got her mount headed in the right direction. He smiled, climbing onto his own chocobo and looked back at the remaining bird who still stared at him. "You coming too then?"

"Wark!"

Cloud spurred his chocobo onward hearing the extra footfalls right behind him.

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Chocobo catching and frustrated almost couplings had filled the day so far. After delivering the chocobos to Bill, Aeris had tugged Cloud out of sight of the main house and behind the big barn. Red was absent; he had volunteered to take a lunch to the seeming less successful Barret and Tifa. Haste was vital this time and she was just settling into Cloud's embrace when the others returning became audible. Thwarted again, they straightened their clothes once more and went to greet their companions.

They could chance the swamp crossing whenever they wanted, but Bill advised against the mines at night. Far better to wait for first light so they could be clear of the caves before they had to make camp again. Cloud suggested they use the rest of the day practicing riding the chocobos at speed. As easy to pick up as riding them was, it was a different experience when they were flat-out sprinting. How much of Cloud's idea came from improving the party's skill and how much from his appreciation of the animals? He was trying so hard to hide it, but more than once he had slipped a few gyshal greens to a pleased chocobo.

Red XIII bowed out before proceedings even began, adamant that he would be best placed to share a mount for the crossing. Both Tifa and Barret were well versed in chocobo riding and took to the faster pace with ease. And Cloud, well he was in his element now. He seemed to be smiling the entire time while giving advice and demonstrating how best to guide the chocobos. The gentler persona seemed to rise to just beneath his surface once more. Of all the chocobos the party had captured, Cloud was riding the one they attracted without the Chocobo Lure. He had named her 'Choco.' Had he named all their mounts?

Cloud was a good teacher and soon the four of them were charging around at full-tilt on the grasslands around the farm. They wound up engaged in an impromptu game of chocobo-tag as the afternoon wore on. Even the skeptical Barret soon found himself drawn into the yells and chases as they dodged and weaved around each other. As evening approached their pace slowed, the humans tiring even if their mounts showed no sign of exhaustion. The group began heading back to the farm, Tifa and Barret certain they had practiced enough for tomorrow.

Aeris followed the others as she guided her chocobo back towards the stables. Maybe now she could split Cloud off from the others? She had been 'it' at the close of their game and Tifa and Barret were looking pretty tired from the day's exertions. It was doubtful they had the stamina to continue the game now, happy to let Cloud give chase. She let her partner draw level with her before musing aloud that she felt more practice would help and winked at him. He looked confused for a moment before she slapped his arm with a cry of "tag", his eyes widening. Aeris circled her chocobo before using the nearby pen to vault herself onto her mount. Flicking the reins, she directed her chocobo into a sprint away from the farm. That should be enough enticement. Would he pursue? Unlike the others she had never experienced life outside of Midgar before. The sights, the sounds and the smells still so new, so exciting, so different to the cloying stench of mako. She had so many reasons for heading out away from the farm on chocobo-back, though only one mattered at the moment. She slowed down some distance away, trotting along at a comfortable pace as she looked back. There was a movement in the distance.

Another chocobo raced across the grassland straight for her. And the rider was blonde. It would be nice to think that Cloud had entered into much the same thought process as her and why she would separate them from the group again. Even if he had not, it would not take much to persuade him. While sex was plausible, even more comfortable at the farm, the risk of discovery was that much greater. This time there was no materia-based chocobo lure to draw the creatures to them. She was chancing the presence of the human one, but would risk it. She kept her mount trotting forward, letting Cloud catch up to her. Just as he entered ear-shot she sent her chocobo towards a nearby rocky outcrop, forcing him to follow.

With quick flutters of its wings, the chocobo climbed the landscape until it reached a plateua. She slid from its back, securing the reins to a nearby tree. Darting uphill, she spotted a sheltered spot amongst a scattering of boulders. She leant against one of the rocks as Cloud's chocobo crested the cliff. He stared at her with slight confusion for a moment before securing his chocobo and venturing up to her. With a nervous hand he reached out and tapped her arm.

"Tag."

She smiled back at him. "You caught me then?"

"I did."

"And just what are you going to do with me?"

"Um... whatever you want?"

"Oh, good." Her arms were around him, pushing him back and into one of the larger boulders, her lips meeting his. He slid down the rock as she deepened the kiss and straddled him, settling against his body. His arms came up to encircle her, surrounding her once more. This was better than risking discovery at the farm where a literal roll in the hay risked observation by voyeur chocobos. This would do. A stone dug into her knee and she fidgeted on Cloud to avoid it. While circumstances required this, there were good arguments for restricting sex to the bedroom.


	5. Junon

**A/N: As before, this is the edited version of the chapter. For uncut please see Ao3.**

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Cloud winced as another twig snapped under his foot. He was too nervous. No one should be close enough to hear - the others would still be setting up the camp site while he and Aeris went out to collect firewood. Correction; while he collected firewood and she looked for herbs to season dinner. Either way, there was no actual need for stealth. Cloud suspected that Aeris's interest in spicing up the meal had something to do with a chance at some privacy for the two of them. The wood screened them from their companions and the deepening gloom would help hide the couple if anyone came looking.

The swamp crossing a few days previous had been easy, but saying goodbye to the chocobos was an unanticipated wrench. It had been painful to shoo Choco away, to see her dither for a moment before turning tail. She raced back across the swamp along with Bo, Ko and Lina vanishing out of sight. Dismissing the chocobos seemed the wiser choice when they found the impaled Zolom at the Mythril mine entrance. There was no doubt in his mind that Sephiroth was the culprit. They encountered the Turks in the depths of the mine, surprised when they made no move to attack. Shinra now seemed more concerned with tracking Sephiroth than bothering with Avalanche. Upon exiting the mines they found themselves in open grassland and began the trek towards the port-city of Junon. Cloud regretted the loss of the chocobos here too; they would have been perfect to cross the wilderness.

The wood had been the first landmark they found as they journeyed, and the lure of a fire lead to setting up camp beside it. Now it was just him and Aeris walking through the gloomy woods. Cloud felt frustrated he once again almost reached for the flower girl's hand as soon as they were out of sight of the camp.

"Should be far enough away here..." Aeris said as she leant back against a tree. One finger toyed with the top button of her dress while her other hand widened the split of her skirt to reveal more thigh. Cloud needed no more prompting as he stabbed the Buster sword into the ground beside them. Aeris smiled as her fingers caught the neckline of his shirt and dragged him towards her. He braced his hands on the tree behind her as she wound her hands and arms around his neck.

They both jumped as a twig snapped accompanied by what sounded like a muffled curse. Cloud pushed away from his partner, spinning around to begin insisting that the situation was not as it appeared. Wait. The sound came from the opposite direction to their camp-site. Something or someone else was in the woods with them. The Turks? They had hinted at another fight and were not above trying for an ambush. He pulled the Buster Sword from the ground and held it ready. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Aeris glancing around, holding her hands ready. Her stave was back at camp; there had been no need for it here. He should not have needed his sword here either, but after events in Midgar he became determined to stop letting it out of his grasp.

It had been problematic enough snagging another sword from Don Corneo's mansion. His hands had grabbed for the weapon in amongst the assorted curios and trinkets in the odious man's bedroom. Cloud was grateful the largest sword had been a genuine Wutai blade and not a cheap replica. It felt odd to wield another sword; the Buster Sword had been his weapon of choice for years. He always preferred the first sword he received over anything that required finesse to wield. It might be one of a hundred machine produced replicas that Shinra churned out for the Third Class SOLDIERs, but this one was his. He kept it clean, polished and sharp. The solid mass of his own was all he knew - a weapon only wieldable by SOLDIERs. To drop it was to damage something. To swing with force was close to devastating.

So why had the thin Wutai blade been so much easier to wield? He coped fine with the smaller, lighter, elegant weapon, surprised at his own speed and skill with it. Speed was a side-effect of always fighting with the Buster Sword, his muscles used to compensating for the mass. But how could he be so accomplished with it? He expected a learning curve when using to a weapon so unlike his own. But it had not happened. It was both a relief and so strange to reclaim the Buster Sword twice afterwards. The first as he pulled it from the ground in Sector Six before they made their climb up to the upper plates. The second when fleeing the captivity of the Shinra building. He needed to take his sword and not one of the newer, near indistinguishable other blades, or one of the thinner, lighter swords. He had carried the sword since he first became a SOLDIER and he intended to keep on using it. But why? In the past he griped about the weight, the lack of elegance, how it caught in enclosed spaces. Years before he had been envious of the thin blade Sephiroth used. But not now. Now he despised any similarity to Sephiroth even to the extent of utilizing a similar weapon.

Cloud shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts as he strained his ears. He waited for another sound, another hint at the location of their potential adversary. What sounded like muttered frustration could in the end be something else. There were a few creatures known to mimic human speech...

He turned at a noise, watching as something span out of the gloom under the trees. It was an unfamiliar weapon, four sharpened blades in a cross-shape that blurred through the air. He batted it away with his sword, eyes tracing back along it's path. A second, much smaller blade whirled towards him from his right. Their quarry was human and fast. Who was out there? This attack did not seem like the Turks and was by no means a military operation. The Turks who would make no secret they were the ones attacking, while Shinra troops would never attempt stealth like this.

The movement came from his left. Should have seen that one coming. A small figure sprinted and jumped through the undergrowth, movements erratic and fast. With a leap it shot up out of sight into the branches of the tree, skipping across branches before dropping straight down onto him. He blocked the figure's blade; it looked identical to the second one he deflected. He tried to push back, but the figure jumped away, pushing off from his sword and flipping backwards. The attacker bounced into a new series of back-flips as Aeris threw shards of ice towards him. He completed a final flip and then vanished down into the undergrowth.

There were faint sounds of movement before the figure broke cover attempting to flank them. Aeris was ready to cast when the figure sprang up into the treeline and disappeared from view. The forest stilled.

"Think he's still there?" murmured Cloud.

"Yes, I think she is," his companion replied with a wry smile.

"'She?'" he said. "We're being attacked by a girl?"

"You don't have to act that surprised you know." The voice was young and accented. Was that Wutain? Cloud darted his head towards the tree the shout had come from, noting the location before looking to Aeris. She nodded, watching the area in the gloom. The mystery girl had attacked hard, and attacked fast. Something about the action and the speed put Cloud in mind of the stories he had heard of fighting Wutai ninja during the war.

Something dropped down in front of him, small fingers gripping at the orbs within his bracer. Stupid; she had drawn their attention elsewhere while she snuck up on them. With a flash of green light, Aeris threw an icicle at the sliver of space between the two fighters. The mystery girl bounced backward on her heels for a moment, before rushing Aeris. She flinched as Aeris threw another volley of ice towards her. The stranger flung herself backwards, the icicle gliding just above her stomach as she flipped head over heels. This time Cloud made a darting rush for her left flank, forced to deflect another blade aimed at his head.

He swept the Buster Sword towards her legs with minimal force, attacking with the back of the blade. She flipped away, bouncing onto a nearby tree trunk and up into the branches. He watched, listening to the scrabbling noises above and the tell-tale dust she knocked down. The movements ceased and they peered up into the tree as the figure landed behind Aeris, fingers darting to her bangle. Aeris reacted, grabbing the assailant's wrist and flipping her over her shoulder. Cloud caught a glimpse of startled brown eyes as she sailed through the air and landed with a groan on her back.

Aeris brought her hands up ready for the next attack as Cloud slid into a new combat stance. The figure lay still and groaned again. "I can't believe I lost. And to some lovebirds as well..." Now she had stopped moving quite so fast they could see a cloth mask and goggles obscured her face. The girl pushed both off her head revealing a young girl with jet black hair. Throwing her legs back, she took her body with them until she rested all her weight on her hands. With a quick push she flipped onto her feet, a new blade clutched in her fingers.

"What do you say? One more round?"

Cloud appraised the grinning girl in front of him. She had attacked them but he had no desire to kill or injure her. "Not interested," he replied.

The grin widened. "Thinking of running away, are ya? Scared?"

Aeris's eyes sparkled with amusement as he replied. "Petrified."

The girl's eyes gleamed at the comment. "Thought as much. Couldn't tell where I was in here could you?"

Aeris shook her head, repressing a smile. "Not at all."

The girl punched the air. "Yes! Well, I'll let you guys go recover. If you feel up to it, we can go for another round later." She turned on her heel and made to walk deeper into the wood when she paused. "I'm really going to leave now, okay?"

"Wait." Cloud caught Aeris's eye, convinced she had reached the same conclusion as he. The girl was young, reckless and, if not careful, liable to get herself eaten by something out in the wilderness.

"Still got something for me? I know... you want my help because I'm so good, right?"

He found himself smiling at that. "That's right."

She grinned. "Heh. Thought so. Well, you've put me on the spot here. What, oh what should I do?" She mused, pivotting on her heel and staring towards the treeline. "But if you want me that bad, how could I refuse? I'll go with you." The girl turned back towards them both.

Cloud caught Aeris's smirk. The situation might not be quite as the girl had made out, but at least they could keep an eye on her like this. Maybe they could leave her in Junon, or just give her some gil and tell her to get herself home. Or maybe, just maybe she could help. She had proved challenging before and could move like lightning.

"Well, we should probably get back to the others. Getting dark in here." A flash of disappointment passed across the flower girl's face as he spoke, one he felt too. The stranger protested as they turned to head back to camp.

"Hey! I haven't even told you my name yet!" The two of them shared a smile. Skilled combatant or no, she still acted like a brat. "I'm Yuffie. Yuffie Kisaragi. Good to meet ya. If I heard right, you're Cloud? Who're you then, green eyes?"

"Aeris Gainsborough," she replied.

"Cool, cool. I'm kinda sorry I interrupted your alone time there. Not that I wanted to watch you two getting jiggy with it." A salacious smile appeared on Yuffie's face which twisted into disgust. "And you know, a good sparring session is way better then any of that icky sex stuff."

"We weren't getting 'jiggy with it'," Cloud replied a with a little too much force. If Yuffie noticed she gave no sign, her attention was already elsewhere.

"How'd you do all that back then, Rissy?"

"...'Rissy'?" Aeris said. She opened her mouth to say something, stopped and started again. "That was magic. Are you interested in materia by chance?"

"What? I mean, why would you think that? I- uh, we don't have materia in Wutai. What is it?"

Cloud shared another smile with Aeris unobserved by the nervous girl behind them.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that during our little skuffle back there, you twice tried to pull them out of our bangles. And to use magic we need materia." Aeris continued.

"Oh, those are materia? We call them something totally different in Wutai. I reckon you'd even have trouble pronouncing it, so we'll just call them materia for convenience. And we don't have any. Kinda why we had the whole war with Shinra thing in the first place, y'know? I just thought they were valuable. Y'know, kind of jewels or precious stone-like?"

"Do precious stones glow in your experience? Usually?" Aeris raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no, but they might have been seriously precious stones."

"And you were just going to steal them?" Cloud glanced at her.

"Borrow them, I was gonna borrow them!" insisted Yuffie. "Well, I might have temporarily pawned them for money to help with Wutai's new rise to power, but you'd have gotten them back after we re-established ourselves. Anyway. How do they work?"

Not the most convincing of arguments, and Cloud resolved to keep an eye on his belongings from now on.

"Materia hold the condensed wisdom of the Cetra. When we use them we are granted their knowledge and power," Aeris said. Cloud glanced back. Yuffie's eyes were wide and she was staring with unconcealed fixation at the bracer Aeris had shifted her sleeve to reveal.

"That sounds really cool." The teen switched to feigned casualness. "So, uh, do you have any spare I might be able to use? I mean, if you're packing those things, you could spare some for me, right?"

Aeris smiled. "We have plenty of spares, Yuffie. I'm sure we can loan you some."

"Awesome."

* * *

Aeris squirmed in her bed trying to get comfortable. But not so comfortable she would doze off. Just enough to pass the time until she could head out to meet Cloud. The current plan of arranging a time to meet up away from the others might need a rethink. In theory the anticipation should make the sex that much sweeter. To reduce the risk of anyone noticing their absence they arranged to meet in the early hours of the morning. What had sounded fine at the time now felt fraught. Since setting any kind of alarm risked disturbing either Tifa or Yuffie, she had to rely on herself to stay awake.

She keyed a button on the PHS to lighten the screen. Too long left. She squirmed again, considering touching herself to both pass the time and as a preamble to later. It was a tempting proposition but she decided against it. She had resorted to it the last few nights, biting her lip as she came, conscious of her slumbering companions. Tonight she would resist. Not that this prevented her becoming turned on; her body willing her, or an intimate partner to touch it. Anticipation was one thing, but she was going to drive herself crazy like this. She turned her thoughts elsewhere to a now uncomfortable absence.

She could not hear the Planet's voice, the sound muted by the horrible sensation of mako processing close by. She never before realised how wearing it had been back in Midgar; it had been part of the background of day to day life. Never something to dwell on or give much thought to. Kalm had been less troubling, even though the settlement also boasted a mako reactor. It had still been unpleasant to enter the small ring of desolation that segmented Kalm off from the rest of the world. At the time she was not as aware of how much the loss would affect her. She had only experienced hearing the Planet for part of a day, and there had been the welcome distraction of time alone with Cloud.

After Kalm she welcome the Planet's voice once more and marveled at the sheer variety of life outside Midgar. While her selection of flowers had flourished in the church, out here there were new varieties everywhere. There was grass and trees. And sun. She had seen the sun before, but only slanted between the gaps in the plate or through the permanent haze shrouding the mako city. She could not yet understand the Planet's voice, but it offered a curious comfort. It felt like the return of some vital part of her she never knew was missing and it felt glorious. To feel it fade away, to hear the chorus of voices reduce to near silence as they approached the port had been painful.

She shook her head clearing her thoughts and flicked the PHS screen on again. It was still a little early but she had waited long enough. She had arranged a third room earlier, keeping the extra key out of everyone's sight. A few quick, murmured words to Cloud after dinner was enough to arrange a time and let a knot of excitement settle into her stomach.

She fed into the excitement now, recalling those previous occasions Cloud had been inside her. Shuffling in silence across her mattress she slid out of the bed, stepping into a crouch. Her room-mates' breathing carried on uninterrupted, but she paused a second to be sure. She still wore her dress, feigning exhaustion as she collapsed onto her bed without bothering to change. Her bare feet moved in near silence across the room, any sound absorbed by the carpet. There was a prickling, scratching sensation on her chest. She fidgeted but overrode the desire to withdraw the singular condom hidden with her bra.

Easing the door open, her ears strained for the slightest noise from her companions. So far, so good. She pushed the lock onto the latch, slipping out into the dim hallway, confident no one would try to enter the room in her absence. Maybe she could let it close and not bother to return tonight. All she would need to do was ensure she was up as early as possible and had been elsewhere not wanting to disturb the others. It would be much easier; there was a whole other room she could share with Cloud. Neither of them would have to risk discovery by sneaking back later. No. As appealing as it was, it would send the wrong message to Cloud.

They had a strict separation of sex from romance and reduced physical contact outside of their couplings. While the idea of dozing off with Cloud's arms around her held a real appeal, it felt too much like a relationship. And she could not have that with Cloud, and to even begin to give him the idea she would be open to it was unfair. He still all often reminded her of Zack to let her escape her past, and there was also Tifa to consider. She seemed poised to offer Cloud an actual relationship, if only she would say something to him. Should she tell Cloud just how much his friend cared for him, even at the cost of ending these liaisons? No, it was not her place to confess in place of her friend. It was possible that Tifa was content with the current situation, but if she made her move, Aeris would back off and let them be happy. Tifa need never know of their arrangement; Cloud had not been cheating on her. Things should remain as they are, even if it meant she would have to sneak back in later both tired and satisfied.

The door shut without a sound and Aeris darted down the corridor to the extra room. She clicked the latch on this too and wandered into a room identical to her own. According to her PHS there was still a little while left. Aeris removed her dress, hanging it in the cupboard and took a seat on the nearest bed. Maybe it would have been a good idea to bring something to read. Her fingers were about to unhook her bra when the door pushed open.

Blonde spikes became visible, Cloud's face lighting up as he saw her. She smiled and crossed to the door, clicking the lock into place behind him as she wound her arms around him. He kissed her, eager and more assured.

"Get away okay?" The touch of his lips and tongue excited her body further, magnified by the motions of Cloud's hands.

"Yeah. Barret and Red were out like lights."

The former was more of a concern. The latter likely had picked up what was going on between them but had the good grace to not even hint at it. Had Cloud's stealth failed in the face of Red's enhanced hearing? Even if it had, it was not worth worrying about for now.

"You're overdressed..." She caught the hem of his shirt and pulled it upwards, Cloud shrugging to help the garment over his head. Her hands dropped to his waist and undid his pants. "Better." Pushing against him she delighted in the warmth of his skin on hers. His hands were on her back, on her waist, on her breasts. There was the crinkle of foil and a scratching twinge at his touch and she pulled away from him. Fishing in her bra she pulled the contraceptive out and tossed it onto the bed.


	6. Cargo Ship

**A/N: This time the chapter is the same here and on Ao3!**

* * *

Red made a graceful leap onto one of the tall stacks of crates forming uneven avenues in the hold. Everyone had made it aboard, the rest of Avalanche recognizing the ship was their best way across the ocean. Cloud crouched in the gloom near the massive cargo-bay door. Crew members swarm on and off the boat as they completed the final preparations.

His fingers toyed with the packet of tranquilizers; he did not suffer from motion sickness so why did he buy them? It had been an impulse buy as he made his way across the city. The clang of the hold door closing distracted him for a moment and he gulped down one of the lozenges before he realized. The deck began vibrating as the ship's engines rumbled into life; Cloud hummed as he waited. The nuisance tune from earlier would not leave his head.

Those endless drills and practices he once endured had paid off years later when he wound up in Rufus's parade. Slipping in with the other troopers was easy, all the movements coming back without conscious thought. And a special performance for the President; there was a time when doing that would have been such a great honor. Not now though. It had not been all bad; Cloud smiled at the memory of his temporary squad-mates' reactions to his flourish. They were so impressed as he twirled his rifle, and mimicked the move after a few blunders. To Cloud's surprise they soon mastered it and he flushed with pride as their commanding officer adopted it.

It felt contradictory to have enjoyed any part of today. Shinra were the enemy, but that little trio; were they so different from his friends? Sure the troopers were under Shinra control, but they were still people under those uniforms. They were eager to impress, following orders to the letter and never daring to disagree with a superior. Much like he had once been. Were they all like that? Were all the troopers they fought just normal people in uniforms obeying orders? Could he blame them for doing that? Would he have had the nerve to refuse a direct order, even if it was wrong? He wanted to say 'Yes', but right now he could not be certain.

He fidgeted in his borrowed uniform. When had he started wearing it and when did he stop? The answer eluded him, the thoughts jarring. He had never worn a trooper uniform - there had never been a need to. As soon as he joined SOLDIER he received his sword and the third class uniform marking him as one of the elite. Cloud frowned. He had parted from the Buster Sword once again by necessity. There was no easy way for him to carry it while infiltrating Upper Junon. Barret should have it. A strange wave of nausea swept over him. There was a twinge in his stomach and a sensation vied for attention at the back of his mind. The more he concentrated, the vaguer it became. It was familiar, like it had always been there but was somehow more prominent now. The twinge came again and he removed his helmet, breathing hard as he felt his stomach settle.

He crept forward, his thoughts troubling him. A faint groan to his right made him tense up, his hand reaching for a missing sword hilt. Yuffie looked up at him with a bleary expression, leaning against a crate and not looking her best.

"Are you okay?" The ninja did not look at her best.

"This is why I hate boats," Yuffie muttered before clapping a hand over her mouth. "You got anything for motion sickness?"

"Actually, yes," he said, surprised his absent-minded earlier action had a use. Had Yuffie mentioned her problem sometime before and he remembered? He frowned, trying to think back as the she grabbed at the packet and consumed one of the tablets. Yuffie swallowed a few more times before speaking again. "Gross. These things are so bitter." Sucking in a deep breath, she concentrated and breathed out.

"Are the others hiding in here too?"

"How should I know-." Her complexion became greener and she staggered away, her hand clamped over her mouth. She vanished off down the avenue of crates.

"Psst. Cloud." A trooper was beckoning him over, the voice feminine. "It's me, Aeris."

Relief flooded through him as he crossed to the secluded hidey-hole she had found. A haphazard arrangement of crates created an alcove screened on three sides and easy to miss on the fourth. Aeris pulled her helmet off, tangled and matted hair tumbling out.

"Did you see the airship back in Junon?"

Cloud nodded. "I heard it was big, but I never expected something like that."

Aeris smiled. "It was really something." She stared up towards the ceiling. "Do you reckon I might get to fly on it one day? I'd love to experience that, even just once. To be free, miles above the ground..."

"I'll take you someday."

The words were out of his mouth before he realized. He wanted to please her, to do something big and amazing for her. And in doing so he hit that line she had drawn between them. To his relief, Aeris seemed too excited by the idea of flight to care. "You will? We can fly on it together? That's a promise right? Promise me? Please?"

How could he say no when she looked so excited? "I promise."

"Thank you," Aeris said, arms reached out and drawing him into an embrace. Cloud's mind raced as his arms came up to encircle her. He smiled against her shoulder. After living so long beneath the plates, it seemed the sky was fascinating, Aeris eager to reach out and touch it.

Squeezing him a little tighter, one of her hands stroked the back of his neck. "You know Cloud, we have a nice secluded spot here, and you did want to do it again..."

He smirked at her words. "You're really okay doing it here?"

"Well... Just this once anyway." Pushing him back she slipped her uniform pants over her hips and let them fall around her feet. Aeris sat back onto a lone crate, spreading her legs and reaching her arms out to him again. Fingers caught the collar of his uniform and pulled him to her.

"Don't want to take too much off," she breathed as her fingers fumbled with his fly. His pants fell to his ankles and she pulled him closer; her lips were on his neck, her legs curled around his. He ran his hands along her thighs, over her hips and then up under her uniform, tracing over her warm skin. His fingers grazed the underside of her breasts as Aeris pulled his underwear away from his body and slid a hand inside. She cooed in appreciation at what she found there, fingers stroking along his length. A distracting sensation drew his attention. It had been there all along; as he walked through the Junon streets and as Aeris enticed him into this secluded space. Now it was impossible to ignore; like a whispering on the edge of his hearing, nothing he could describe or put into words.

When had it begun? When had he first heard that whispering and why it was sometimes stronger? It was so close to coherent, the meaning remaining only just beyond his grasp. An itching need to move welled up inside him; he had to go. He resisted, and every one of his muscles relaxed. Tension drained from his limbs and his legs felt like jelly. A wave of nausea washed over him as his cock became flaccid.

"Cloud?" A worried voice broke into his thoughts. He was staring at the crates that formed one wall of their little hide-away. No, not at them; through them. He was staring towards the bow and away from the girl whose hand still gripped his cock. She let go of him and sat back, staring at him. He tugged his head away from the pull to meet her gaze and regretted it. He caught the disappointment on her face for a moment and looked away again. He looked down, finding her bare legs in his vision and forced his eyes to look still lower towards the deck.

"Cloud? Is something wrong?" She sounded worried now, concern lacing her every word.

"I... I don't know," he said, voice jittery. Fingers caught his chin and raised his head. Aeris's eyes reflected confusion, concern and a tiny amount of hurt. She studied him, her gaze locked with his.

"It's okay," she said after a moment, pulling him closer, but shifting her arms up and around his neck. He pressed into her, willing his erection to restore itself, but his body refused to react.

"Sorry," he mumbled into her shoulder, frustrated by the wasted opportunity.

"It's okay," she repeated in a firm voice, pulling away and smiling at him. "Guess all the sneaking around and tension got to you."

"Y-yeah." Was that true? He needed time to think.

"I suppose we better let the others know you're okay. We can't stay here forever." She pushed him back and dropped down from the crate, bending to pull her pants up. Cloud re-arranged his own uniform as Aeris told him to go on ahead; it would look suspicious if they both went up together. Fighting off another impulse to look bow-wards, he slipped out from behind the crates looking for the others.

He shot a last look back towards Aeris as he walked, and heard a low voice from above him. "Cloud."

"Red?" He peered up at the nearest stack of crates. Red XIII peered over the edge. "You still okay?"

"I am. If you are looking for the others, they are up on deck."

"Thanks. Are you going to be okay hiding up there?"

"It is not the most comfortable spot, but it will do." Red's nostrils flared and there was a curious glint in his eye. Cloud frowned, but Red's expression shifted again. "I will be here if you have need of me," he said before he ducked back out of sight again.

Chill sea wind buffeted Cloud as he stepped onto the deck. Ahead of him someone leant almost bent double over the guard rail; that had to be Yuffie. A trooper stood beside her, one hand placed on the other's back; Tifa? With a quick appraisal of the crew's movements on deck, he hurried towards them.

The trooper turned at his approach, her eyes widening. Red eyes. Tifa's eyes. Was she surprised to see him? No, she was looking past him and now nervous.

"Yes sir! Everything's quiet, sir!" Tifa snapped a salute, her eyes tracking a movement behind him. Her posture relaxed and she smiled. "Yuffie said she saw you in the hold, but..." Her fingers fiddled with the hem of her uniform. "It's great to be getting away from Midgar, Junon and Shinra, but I wish we didn't have to go like this. I hate this uniform. I hate soldiers and war too. They take away all the things and people you love. I wish they'd just disappear." Yuffie contributed some sarcastic sounding comment but the wind snatched her words away. "Sorry, I kind of wound up ranting at you."

Cloud's fingers itched to comfort the martial artist somehow. It never felt comfortable reaching out to touch another uninvited; not even when it was his oldest friend. They had known each other so long, but to be this close to her still felt new to him. As childhood friends they had spent time together, been in each other's company so often. But why then did she feel so much like a stranger at times? And why had he not taken the time to speak to her when he returned home five years ago?

He needed to respond in some way. Any way. "It's okay, Tifa." She looked at him with curious eyes. What had he been worrying about? Tifa was his friend; she knew him and he her. They were both orphans of Nibelheim; they needed no other reason to stick together. "I don't like war either. I know that sounds really strange after I went and joined SOLDIER, but things change. People change. What Sephiroth did... I... I need to stop him doing anything like that ever again. I don't want to fight him, but I might have to."

"Cloud... Yes, sir!" The martial artist snapped back into an alert stance once more. "I'll continue my watch," she said nodding towards the still slumped Yuffie. "Thank you, Cloud."

"Have you seen Barret?"

Tifa shook her head. "Maybe he's in the hold?"

"Could be, but I didn't see him before. I'll check again."

Aeris was still down in the hold, along with Red XIII. Tifa and Yuffie were here. Where was Barret? Scanning the deck again, he was unable to catch sight of the Avalanche leader. Maybe he was in the hold despite what Red had told him. Cloud walked as fast as he dared back down to the hold. His eyes flicked towards the bow. Was whatever had drawn his attention before still functioning? He relaxed as he descended the stairs. The strange phenomenon had bewitched him before seemed to be absent now. There was nothing to worry about.

"Cloud?" Aeris was talking to him and she sounded worried. He was standing beside her hiding spot, his gaze drawn towards the front of the boat once more. He could not remember walking here, could not remember greeting Aeris. Words caught in his throat before he could begin to voice them. The muscles of his neck kept him facing the bow no matter how hard he strained. Aeris continued to talk, her voice laced with concern.

"Did you see Tifa?" He nodded with an awkward movement, glad he could control this motion at least. "Red?" Another nod. "Yuffie?" Nod. "How about Barret? I hope he's not doing anything stupid."

Something shifted inside him and the tug was gone, his muscles relaxing. He turned to look at his companion, her eyes widening as they met his. Cloud swallowed a few times and tried to speak again. "I didn't see him." His voice was croaky but he could talk. He coughed before continuing. "He is here isn't he? Red told me everyone made it, but I didn't see him up on deck."

"He's here somewhere, Cloud." Aeris insisted.

"I hope so. He has my sword."

Aeris looked into his eyes again. "Cloud? Let's go find him." He stepped back, giving her room to move past him, even as he felt a tug on his attention again. Shaking his head did little to disrupt the seductive pull. It increased for a moment and then faded, but did not quite vanish. He concentrated on looking anywhere but the bow as he lead Aeris back through the hold and up the stairs. They were half-way up when the alarm began blaring. "Has Barret...?" she began. He hauled himself up the stairs and onto the deck. They needed to find where everyone was right now.

Barret was with Tifa and Yuffie as a crackling announcement reported a sighting of someone suspicious. Troopers rushed across the deck, ignoring the disguised Avalanche. If they were not the cause of the alarm, then who was? Had they found Red? A passing trooper shouted at the group to assist with the search. Trying to keep their cover, the group of stowaways hurried after the other troops as they descended into the hold.

* * *

Aeris concentrated. Magical fire rushed from her hands and enveloped the still twitching section of Jenova. They volunteered Cloud to report a fictional report of a stowaway now neutralized. The remaining members of Avalanche concentrated on destroying the last traces of the creature. As the remains collapsed into ash, the group slipped back out into the darkened hold to hide. Aeris gravitated towards her hiding place, wondering if Cloud would think to seek her out. There was still the matter of his strange behavior before they found the figure with silver hair in the engine room. Before they found the only other living Cetra. Before they found Sephiroth. The implications of a genetic connection had been abhorrent before. But to see the man who destroyed Nibelheim and what he could become? Now she could not bear to accept they were anything alike.

Aeris shook her head, distracting herself from the memory of Spehiroth. Had something happened to Cloud in those hours since they parted in lower Junon? Had he seen or experienced something in the upper city that had so wrecked his concentration? She sifted through her memories of Junon. It was possible to extrapolate some of Cloud's trip across port city. He had found the trooper barracks, or at least procured a trooper uniform from somewhere. The barracks felt a much more likely option given, like her, he had been able to observe the floating airship. The craft had not been visible from the main street; the tall buildings screened it from view.

While the former SOLDIER was a little shorter, once he was wearing a uniform no one would not give him a second glance. Or so she inferred based on the ease with which she, Tifa and Yuffie navigated the city and boarded the boat. That he was here at all and not incarcerated back in Junon was proof enough he had crossed the metropolis without issue. His behavior just seemed so odd. He had asked for another coupling, but when she offered him the opportunity he became distracted.

Was that more or less troubling than losing his erection? Tough question. It was not as simple a situation as if he had ceased to find her attractive. His arousal had been far too pronounced, too rapid to suggest he had changed his mind about her. Nor did it seem possible that Tifa had plucked up the nerve to admit her feelings. It seemed even less plausible Cloud could reciprocate those feelings and stay quiet. The Cloud she knew would have blurted out his situation as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Apologies would follow given he could no longer sleep with her.

Her easy acceptance of the changed situation would surprise him if he did tell her. In her mind's eye she could see him startled, embarrassed but excited about what his new relationship might entail. No, the loss of his arousal occurred when something drew his attention. There had been nothing audible above the engines and wall of crates prevented anything catching his eye. But the former SOLDIER had just stared to his right, not even hearing her voice as she tried and failed to get his attention.

And then, just like that, the distraction was gone. Cloud's arousal vanished as he tore his attention from whatever had drawn it. He had looked lost; so nervous, so wary and so unsure of himself. That it happened again while he was looking for Barret was an extra worry. She needed to keep an eye on him. Had she in fact found yet another new Cloud? This one masked by both the stoic SOLDIER and the expressive, gentle, skillful man she delighted in sleeping with?

Was it something she had done and this situation had been developing for a while, only now manifesting? Was it possible that in uncovering the other Cloud she had by extension managed to trigger yet another mindset? Visions of Cloud as an infinite recurring series of personality shells came unbidden. She would break through them seeking the real Cloud. Even if she found only another shell within the last, she would keep going. How far down was the real Cloud? Was he so far from the light of day to be almost unrecognizable? Perhaps there was no real Cloud. Maybe there was nothing in the centre of the puzzle that was the former SOLDIER but a void. The man she knew nothing more than a composite formation of those shells. No true self to draw out from under his protections and alternate personas. Nothing but darkness. No. She would not believe that was true.

Something had affected him in that moment of distraction, something he did not understand and could not begin to voice. He acted almost as if he had no memory of the moment and she had been unable to resist embracing him afterwards. He was her friend; comforting the lost mercenary did not mean she felt anything romantic for him. Would there be a need to reiterate how things stood between them? To reinforce the notion that there was a level of emotional intimacy she would not let him exceed? Perhaps. At least he had not clung to her or even protested when she asked him to go on ahead. If anything he was treating his sudden impotence as less of an issue then she was.

Maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of the end of them? Had their arrangement reached it's natural end? She hoped not; they had not managed to get away quite as often as she would have liked. But it was not as if she was unaware this day would arrive. Their agreement was transitory; they were using each other for a missing part in their own lives.

At some point her feelings for Zack would diminish and she would move on to find someone new. It could have been Cloud had they met at a different juncture in their lives, if more time had passed, if he did not remind her quite so much of Zack. Cloud was going to notice just how Tifa felt about him, or Tifa would overcome her nerves and tell Cloud. And that would be that. Maybe sooner would be better; now before she became too used to him and his body, now before she became too reluctant to give it all up. Maybe even after Tifa's confession, he would not return her feelings. Maybe he might elect to stay with the flower girl. She quashed the thought, reminding herself of the decision to not get involved with him like that.

She still wanted to fly on the airship with him regardless. The ground rushing past beneath them as she leant on the rail and looked down to the world below. And in her day-dream he was always there beside her; unbidden but never unwelcome. He had made good on his promise, and she delighted in his company.

A passing trooper caught sight of her, staring at her as she froze. Before she could react, the figure squeezed through the gap and into her hiding place. Was it Cloud come to keep her company and maybe try again? The trooper raised its helmet, causing waves of thick black hair to cascade out.

"Tifa!" Aeris exclaimed over the roar and pulse of the engines.

"Hi." The martial artist greeted her with a smile. "How are you holding up?"

"Me? I'm okay. Are... are you? I mean after seeing him again."

Her friend's eyes darkened at the inference.

"I'm... I-It wasn't as bad as I thought," she said with a weak smile. "I'd just glad he didn't seem to take any notice of me. You seem okay at least."

Aeris frowned. "I am, though I'm still more concerned about you."

"But Sephiroth's... an Ancient, a Cetra, isn't he?" She nodded as Tifa continued. "I was worried you might think we'd get twitchy around you after what happened to him. After what he turned into..."

Aeris smiled. "I trust you all too much to be worried about that. And even if I am related to him, I'm not sure either of us can really be considered a typical example of the Cetra. I certainly don't think I'm capable of transforming like he did. And I have no intention of doing so either." Tifa fidgeted and Aeris changed the subject. "Have you seen Cloud?"

The martial artist shook her head. "I don't think he's come back down yet. I reckon Rufus or Heidegger have assigned him to do something menial. We'd have heard by now if they'd captured him."

An image formed in Aeris's mind of Cloud mopping the deck. She smirked. "I hope he doesn't wind up working the whole time until we get to Costa del Sol."

"You've never been there have you?"

Aeris shook her head, glad to move away from troubling thoughts. "No. Have you?"

"No..." Tifa began and paused. "Well," she continued, "I think I must have, once, years ago, but I really don't remember. Whoever took me from Nibelheim would have had to pass through the port to get me to Midgar, so..."

Aeris interrupted, diverting from the distant yet still uncomfortable reminder of Sephiroth. "Any idea if it's really like it is on TV?"

Tifa blinked for a moment before her lips quirked into a smile. "All golden sand, blue skies, blue ocean and stress-free? I certainly hope so."

The flower girl sighed. "It'd be nice if we could stay there for a while and just relax a little. The first time I ever saw the sea was two days ago; I had no idea there was that much water in the world. I mean, I knew what the sea was and what it was like, but the difference between reading about it and actually seeing it... And if the Costa del Sol sea really is like it is on TV, it looks a much nicer place to swim then Junon. Not that I can swim though."

Tifa looked at her in surprise. "You can't swim?"

Aeris shook her head. "I never had anyone to teach me, let alone somewhere to practice. Was there a pool in Sector Seven?" Aeris cringed but the implications seemed to pass Tifa by.

"No, no pool. I learnt when I was younger. There were a lot of lakes around Nibelheim."

"Maybe you could teach me then?"

Tifa laughed. "Me? You'd want me to teach you?"

"What's wrong with that? You know how, and I don't have the first idea where to even start." Aeris put her hands on her hips.

Tifa regarded her for a second before smiling, "Alright."

"You'll teach me?" Tifa nodded and Aeris threw her arms around her friend. "Thank you."

"But we'll have to get some swimsuits first. Before that though we need to somehow convince Cloud not to rush us straight through the town and back out into the wilderness."

Aeris looked at Tifa with a smirk. "Tifa... I think you might have already hit on the way to keep Cloud from leaving immediately."

"Hmmm?" Tifa looked confused for a moment before she rolled her eyes. "Oh. Aeris!"

Aeris giggled. "Why not? I'm not sure Cloud would really argue with any request that came from two girls in bikinis. Two very attractive girls in bikinis I might add." She struck a seductive pose.

Tifa chuckled. "You might have a point. Though, you should be warned that there'll almost certainly be other guys on the beach. And guys have this tendency to stare at girls in swimsuits."

"Tifa Lockhart, you and I both know I recently strolled through the most infamous sector in the whole of Midgar wearing some decidedly revealing dresses and was leered at pretty much the entire time. It wasn't pleasant, it wasn't nice, but I did it." Aeris paused a moment before smirking and adding, "As did Cloud."

Tifa smirked too. "I still can't believe you convinced him that was a good idea."

"It worked though didn't it?"

"It did. Honestly, I really didn't realize it was him until you talked to him."

"Thank the girls at the Honeybee Inn for that. Their make-up skills are nothing short of magic. Anyway!" Aeris said with emphasis, returning to the matter at hand. "After surviving that, a few guys perving at us on the beach feels the least of our worries. Plus I have every faith that your fists will be able to take care of any problems."

The martial artist held up her clenched hand. "As long as you'll back me up with your staff."

"Of course!"

Tifa mused for a moment. "So, how's this for a plan? We get off the boat, buy swimsuits, get changed, ask Cloud very, very nicely if we can have a break from our mission, and then head to the beach?"

"I like it. I just have one amendment," Aeris said. "I reckon we might be able to get the same effect out of Cloud just by suggesting if he lets us stay for a while we'll be on the beach in bikinis."

"You reckon?"

Aeris nodded. "Both options are still good though. I just prefer the one that gets us to the beach faster. So if Cloud's all grumpy after whatever they're making him do up there and his imagination isn't active enough, we buy the swimsuits and try asking him again."

"Deal."

They shook hands and smiled before lapsing into silence again. Aeris spoke first. "Any idea where we'll go after Costa del Sol?"

Tifa's eyes flicked to the deck for a moment before replying. "I know North Corel isn't far from there. That's where Barret and Marlene are from. I get the feeling Barret will want to avoid it if possible. He doesn't even like talking about his past. Ah, there's the Gold Saucer as well."

"Oh." Aeris smiled at the name. It had been on TV more than once, the commercial jingle infuriating and catchy. She never expected to be able to visit it, though now it sounded like there was a possibility; the lure of the place was hard to resist. "We have to convince Cloud to let us go there as well."

"We could hope that Sephiroth has a fondness for the place," said Tifa blinking, her forehead creasing into a frown.

A new image of Sephiroth formed in Aeris's head and she started giggling. Tifa grinned and met her eyes, seeking confirmation. "You too?"

"Y-yes," the flower girl replied as laughter threatened to overwhelm her. "Sephiroth on a... on a roller-coaster!"

Tifa's face twitched and she was laughing too. Aeris shushed at her friend despite the sustained roar of the engines. Trying to be silent only made it worse, and they both directed their laughter into sleeves and hands, unable to calm down. All tension evaporated with the onset of their mirth. None of her worries about Cloud or their secretive arrangement was affecting her friendship with Tifa. And why should it?

"Aeris?" The martial artist looked a little embarrassed. "Thank-you for being my friend."

Aeris smiled at her. "As if I wouldn't be." Her companion could not stop her lips quirking into a smile. "And thank-you for being mine."

"You know, you're also my only female friend."

"Tifa?"

Tifa smiled with a touch of sadness. "Jessie was my friend too, but she-"

Aeris disrupted the topic. "So everyone else you know is a guy?"

Tifa blinked and nodded. "Almost all of the bar patrons were men, and way too many of them were only there because of some real sketchy rumours about the Seventh Heaven. At first anyway. Barret managed to put a stop to that after a few weeks which helped a lot. And what with him and Avalanche, I didn't get much time to myself or a chance to just meet people until we ran into each other. So thank you for being friends with me."

"Don't mention it," Aeris smiled at her companion and laid her hand on the martial artist's arm. "You're one of my only friends full stop, Tifa." An announcement disrupted the conversation; the ship had begun docking. Aeris glanced to the door and back to the other girl. "Still okay with the plan?"

"Am I ever. Sun, sea and sand here we come!" Tifa said. Aeris smiled, and in her head, added 'sex' to the list.


	7. Costa del Sol

**A/N: As before full version on Ao3. Direct link to the uncut fic in my profile.**

* * *

A wave of heat enveloped Cloud as he stepped out of the cargo ship's shadow. Prickles of sweat swept across his body as confusion set in; he did not remember the resort town being quite this hot. He must have come at a different time of year before, maybe when it was cooler. No matter; right now he was just looking forward to being rid of the thick trooper uniform.

Red panted beside him as Barret stepped out into the sunlight with a sigh. "Damn, it's hot." He picked at his sailor uniform. "And guess I gotta get rid of this now."

"Aww. I like your sailor suit," Aeris said. "He looks so cute in it," she stage whispered to a grinning Tifa.

"What do you mean 'cute'?" growled Barret.

Tifa tried to wave away her friend's anger as the group began walking. "If you don't want to get rid of it why don't you just use it as night-wear?"

Cloud looked around to study his companion. He caught Aeris's smirk and felt his own lips twitch in response. "I reckon it'd work. Though you do currently kind of look like a bear wearing a marshmallow."

Barret glared at him. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Could we please hurry and get out of the sun?" interrupted Red with audible effort. "This heat is drying out my nose."

"Mine too!" The group stared at the ninja in their midst. "Oh, whatever! It's just too damn hot..." Something ahead of them seemed to catch Yuffie's eye. "Hey, can we, like, take a break here for a bit?" She looked at Cloud.

The swordsman felt the burden of leadership falling onto his shoulders; get moving, or take some time to enjoy the resort town? Right now there was no contest. "I suppose we could all do with some time to relax; we'll take a break here for a while."

Yuffie whooped, took a few steps forward and paused a moment to spin on her heel. "Don't bother looking for me," she said. "I'll find you guys later." She completed her pirouette and dashed away.

"I gotta get out of these clothes," said Barret as he stomped across the dock. "Especially if I wanna use them as pajamas."

With a heavy breath, Red started plodding after him. "And I'm getting out of the sun before I expire," he muttered.

Aeris stared with interest towards the beach. "I wonder if I should try getting a tan while we're here. How about it Cloud; which do you like better? Tanned or fair-skin?"

His brain stalled for a moment as he considered the question, the questioner and the audience. "A healthy tan is nice," he said, visions of Mary's dusky skin swimming up from mental depths. The realization jolted him; he could remember her tanned skin, but still could not recall what she looked like? Would he recognize her if he saw her again? Was there a chance of running into her?

Aeris's eyes widened a fraction and she smiled. "I'll have to remember that," she said.

"Well, I'm definitely going swimming," Tifa interjected.

"Still willing to teach me?" Aeris asked and her friend nodded. Unbidden the image of Aeris in a bikini formed in Cloud's mind. "Hmmm? And just what are you thinking about, Cloud? You know, your cool exterior is beginning to show a few cracks..." She winked and took Tifa's hand. "See you later Cloud. Now let's go!"

The two girls raced across the dock and Cloud trailed after them, wanting to be out of the sun but unwilling to hurry in the heat. He gazed around as he walked towards the town, digging into his memories. Try as he might, he was unable to recall anything specific from his previous visit here. Why could he recall so little of his time here, and yet knew with absolute certainty this was the place he first had sex? A movement further up the street caught his eye; the bikini-clad Aeris and Tifa walking to the beach. They commandeered one of the big umbrellas for their belongings and hopped across the sand to the sea. Joining them was a tempting proposition, but he needed to get out of this uniform first.

* * *

"Yeah, Dad'll definitely wear this when he sees you next- Hey! Room's occupied, you hear me?"

Cloud pushed the door open, pausing at the sight of Barret admiring himself in the mirror. "Ah, sorry 'bout that Cloud. I was just..."

Cloud shook his head, dumping his bag and sword onto the nearest bed. "Don't mind me, I'm heading right back out again." Stripping off the trooper uniform he pulled on his own, the familiar feel of the fabric comforting.

Barret had a glint in his eye. "Heading down to the beach are ya? Some interestin' sights down there for a guy like you I imagine."

"I don't know what you mean," Cloud said in a terse voice.

"Yeah, I bet you don't," the Avalanche leader smirked. "I'll be out in a bit," he called as Cloud walked away.

The heat was a little more bearable as Cloud walked with as much nonchalance as possible. The unpleasant memory of his distraction on the boat surfaced but now seemed unimportant somehow. He quashed the faint worry it might happen again. The strange whispering had stopped and he felt so much lighter. Tonight would be good time to make it up to Aeris if an opportunity arose; they just needed to improvise on the location.

Aeris was not in the water or lounging on the sand when he found her. Instead both she and Tifa hugged towels around themselves and stared at something further along the beach.

"Are you okay?"

Aeris turned at his question looking haunted and worried. What had happened? Some jerk guy on the beach? Cloud looked past her, catching sight of a familiar figure with oversized glasses and a pony-tail. Hojo. Shinra's chief scientist sat huddled in the shade, reading from a stack of papers.

"Hojo," he breathed, amazed that the man could be here. A strange chill swept through him, sucking the intense heat of the sun away. He needed to talk to Hojo. The impulse was confusing, becoming evasive as he questioned it. What could the man tell him or even be willing to admit? Cloud blinked. He was standing beside the scientist. Hojo looked up at him with cold interest.

"Ah, I remember you." He grinned, his expression the antithesis of humor. "It's been a long time, Cloud."

His throat was dry. "Not long enough. What are you doing here?"

"I would have thought it obvious. I am here on holiday."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Somehow, I don't quite believe that."

Hojo chuckled, the noise setting the swordsman's teeth on edge. "How astute. You are correct though; I am here for much the same reason as you."

"Sephiroth..." Cloud breathed.

"Have you seen him yet?" the professor asked in an eager voice. Why should he answer this man he disliked so much? Despite himself, Cloud nodded. "He was on the ship wasn't he?" Another nod. "Excellent, excellent!" Hojo paused for a second, tilting his head to either side, considering the man in front of him. "And you... Have you felt like something was calling to you? Have you felt the need to go... somewhere?"

Cloud felt dizzy at the question. The man's words were confusing, alien but somehow logical. Wanderlust surfaced and he felt trapped; he had to get moving. Some other part of him fought against the urge, remembering his friends wanted a chance to relax. But they needed to get back to the pursuit, needed to track down his former friend. "I'll... I'll go wherever Sephiroth is. I need to stop him."

"Interesting." Hojo's cold stare held him. "So, former SOLDIER, how would you feel about becoming my guinea pig?"

Cloud's hand moved on reflex, darting back over his shoulder. To his surprise his hand closed on air, the expected sword hilt absent once again; the Buster Sword was back in the hotel. He brought his arm back down to his side, fighting an impulse to race back and retrieve his weapon. Hojo watched with amusement, now shifting his gaze to Cloud's right.

"I see you brought my half-Ancient with you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud saw Aeris stiffen. "My name is Aeris," she said, an air of forced politeness entering her quiet voice. "You could at least do me the decency of remembering my name."

"I have little time for specimen names." Hojo replied with a wave of his hand and looked thoughtful. "Except for one or two... exceptional cases. Tell me, how is Ifalna these days?"

"How can you ask that?" Aeris said, a flash of anger lacing her words.

"It was merely an attempt to ascertain the well-being of my prized specimen."

"You don't know?" she gasped. Confusion now settled onto Hojo's face. "She's dead."

Aeris's answer startled the scientist, his defenses down for a moment as he regained composure. Cloud stared at him, fascinated; it did not seem possible the man could look so vulnerable. "A pity." Hojo glanced down towards the sand, jaw clenched.

"Professor; Jenova... is she an Ancient? Is Sephiroth? Am I... am I the same as them?" Aeris asked, her voice trembling.

Hojo glanced up at her, lips pressed into a thin line. Gathering his belongings together in silence he walked away from them. "Professor!" Aeris called out. "Answer me. Please."

Cloud was about demand a reply when Hojo paused. Turning back towards them he muttered, "Your answers are West of here," and strode from the beach. Almost forgotten beside him, Tifa let out a sigh of relief, the atmosphere brightening. Aeris still stared after the departed scientist.

"Aeris? Are you okay?" Tifa asked, reaching out to the other girl's back.

The flower girl jumped at the contact and looked around. "F-fine. I'm fine. Actually, I feel a little iffy." She sighed. "I think I'm going to go have a lie-down for a while."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Tifa frowned.

Aeris shook her head. "No, I'll be okay. You enjoy the beach." She glanced at Cloud. "Both of you. Hopefully I'll be back out soon. And don't forget you still need to teach me to swim."

"I know," Tifa smiled. "You take care though."

"I will." Aeris gave them each a weak smile and walked away, head bowed in thought.

"I hope she's okay." Tifa glanced at the water and then to her companion. "Care to join me for a swim, Cloud?" Wine-coloured eyes held his gaze as she let the towel slip from her shoulders.

"Ah, not right now thanks. Besides I don't have any swimming shorts," he replied.

The martial artist smirked. "You know, there's this great shop just over there that sells swim-wear," she said, pointing.

Cloud glanced towards the indicated store and nodded. "Maybe later then. I just want to take things easy for now."

Tifa seemed about to say something more, but bit back the words. "Well, I'm still going to make use of this holiday while I can!" She strode into the water and dove beneath it. Surfacing a few metres away she began swimming freestyle parallel to the shore. Aeris was nowhere in sight. He wanted to talk to her and at least try and comfort her. But would it be better to follow her or give her space? The encounter with Hojo seemed to have fazed her; he at least wanted to make sure she was okay.

Tifa was gliding through the water, all her attention now focused on her exercise. She might not notice if he went to check up on Aeris. If he did not go he was going to wind up fretting about how she was coping on her own. If anyone asked he would admit that he had seen her. It was nothing more than one friend checking on another as he went to get swim-wear.

* * *

Cloud knocked on the door. "It's open," Aeris called. He found her lying flopped on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she said. "And I don't really understand why, it's just... There's so many things I don't know. And it's making me feel uneasy."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, crossing to the bed and leaning on the end

"Maybe..." She sat up on the bed, her gaze catching his for a second before staring down onto the bed. "Cloud; what do you think of me?"

"I... I don't know. I don't understand... anything," he blurted, trying to reconcile his memories of Aerith with those of Sephiroth, Jenova and Hojo's cryptic words on the beach. Aeris nodded, eyes still looking down as a sad smile appeared on her face.

"'I don't understand'" she echoed. "It wasn't a fair question was it? I mean, I don't understand myself, so how could you give me an answer?" She paused. "I don't know which part of me is an Ancient and I don't know what an Ancient is supposed to be like. It's so strange, isn't it? To have this heritage, to not be like everyone else. I just don't understand why it's so important." She lapsed into silence again and Cloud wracked his brain for more to say. The silence stretched on and she sighed. "I think my head is just going around in circles." Glancing up at hime she said, "Thanks for coming to check on me though."

"I-it's nothing."

"Did Tifa send you?" she asked, watching him.

"No. She probably thinks I'm buying a swimsuit."

The flower girl smiled. "Thank you anyway. I think I am going to have that nap though. You should go enjoy the beach while we're here."

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" He half-hoped she would want some company and a reason to fulfill his role as bodyguard.

"I'll be fine. Go on! Go enjoy the sun." She made little shooing motions with her hands and Cloud backed away from the bed as Aeris trailed after him. "Thanks for coming to check on me though, Cloud."

"Don't mention it. Hope you feel better."

"Thank you. I'll see you later." She pushed the door to with a small smile and clicked the lock into place. "'I don't know'," he echoed under his breath. What an absurd thing to say to her. There had to have been a better answer; if only he had had more time to think. Deep in thought Cloud wandered back towards the beach.

* * *

Aeris blinked awake in the darkened room. The air had cooled and the last vestiges of the sunset were visible through the open window. Her body had been more tired than she had realized. Unsurprising now she thought about it; she had been unable to get the extra rest she craved after her liason with Cloud back in Junon. The orchestra playing that irritating march for Rufus Shinra's arrival had not helped either.

The cargo ship had been anything but restful; first the risk of their discovery on board and then the encounter with Jenova. At least here they could relax, though that had been all too temporary upon meeting Hojo. He was like the remnant of a recurring nightmare, the encounter unnerving her. Of course he would not answer her question and she placed little faith in his cryptic hint.

The air felt cool enough for her to switch the bikini for her dress and she began reassembling her braid with practiced fingers. Food and company was the first order of business now; whether Cloud on his own or with the rest of their friends. Drifting sounds of conversation became audible as she walked from the room.

Turning a corner she almost collided with Cloud. "Aeris!" he exclaimed. "I was just coming to see if you wanted anything to eat. Are you feeling better now?"

"Much better thank you. I had a much needed sleep. And dinner sounds like a pretty good idea." She smiled at him.

He returned the smile. "The innkeeper should be able to fix something up for you if you ask. The food here's pretty good."

"Glad I didn't miss out. What have you all been up to?"

Cloud mused for a moment before answering. "Well, we spent most of the day on the beach. After it got dark we moved back here and started playing some board-games the owner has. You can probably join in on the next round if you'd like."

She tilted her head to one side. "Why aren't you playing?"

"Ah, four players only at the moment. Also, Yuffie was bugging me the entire time to switch with her. I think it's because she likes playing with all the money."

Aeris smiled at the idea of the young ninja lording fake currency over the other players. "Maybe we should let them finish their game in peace. I'm tempted to have a quick walk before dinner. Would you care to join me?"

"Sure," he replied with obvious, forced casualness. He was trying to be cool. She let it pass without comment. Cloud seemed more at ease and no longer filled with the curious nervous energy and need for constant movement. He had come to check on her after running into Hojo. And now she thought about it, he had not exhibited any Zack-like mannerisms since Junon. Before there had always been something in Cloud's movements that reminded her of Zack. Now she was noticing the absence of the cues instead of responding to their appearance. Aeris was not about to complain; she was far more interested in the hidden Cloud she encountered when they were alone together.

Outside the sky was filling with stars, the town lit by the soft green glow of mako lamps. A few scattered groups lounged on balconies or outside houses with the doors propped open. The nearby bar bustled with life and milling customers. No one was on the beach at this hour and Aeris resolved to make better use of it tomorrow. A day without encounters with a certain scientist would be preferable. Slipping her boots and socks off, she let her feet sink into the cooling sand. They strolled along the beach, the waves lapping at the sand to their left. Artificial mako light gave way to moonlight as they walked, the glowing buildings of Costa del Sol behind them.

Cloud recounted more details of the day she missed. Tifa out-swam everyone else and Barret was still reluctant to give up his sailor outfit. Aeris laughed at Yuffie's inexplicable penchant for work at the materia stall. Cloud was certain she was up to something but was unsure how best to warn the owner. She scolded him, reminding him that Yuffie was their friend and they should have more faith in her. He winced at her words and murmured a grudging agreement before falling silent. She spoke after a beat to agree that maybe it would be an idea to keep an eye on whatever she was doing. The whispering of the Planet crept into her mind as they crossed the invisible threshold encircling the town. She smiled; there were tiny whispers of life even here among the sand dunes.

Aeris flopped back a low dune, settling against the sand. Ahead was the sea, darkening sky, brightening stars and a confused Cloud. She patted the sand beside her. "Come and join me, Cloud." He dithered for a moment and sat beside her, clasping his hands together, trying not to make contact with her. They sat in silence, comfortable and at ease in the other's company. "It's beautiful here," Aeris said. He nodded, still gazing out to sea. "Has it changed much since you were here with Mary?"

The question took him by surprise. For a moment he looked startled and unsure, his head tilting to one side. "A fair bit," he ventured after a pause. "I think most of the shops must have changed as I don't remember them at all."

The subject of Mary gave her a new idea; she was still hungry, but the need to eat was not overwhelming. A new and different hunger filled her. They were well away from the others again. There was a snag though; she had only been intending to get dinner and had left all her condoms behind. Frustrating, but did she need them? She took her Pill exactly as prescribed no matter the circumstances; risk of pregnancy was minimal. Cloud's sexual history was more than a little murky, but she could risk it. Unprotected sex would be a new and tempting experience. How different - and messy - could it be?

"Did you and Mary ever walk out here when you were with her?" Aeris asked trying to keep her tone innocent.

"Y-, N-, um, not that I remember," Cloud answered. "We weren't exactly an item as such..."

"More a one night stand?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

She leant her head on his shoulder. "And she had you in the hotel?" He nodded. "Well, can I have you out here then?"

His back stiffened at her words, and she could see another part of him had a similar reaction. "You can," he replied as she lifted her head to meet his. It was just a touch of their lips at first, but it deepened as Aeris placed her hand on Cloud's chest. The former SOLDIER pushed his tongue into her mouth without prompting. She entwined her arms around his neck.

"I forgot to bring condoms..." Aeris murmured as his lips shifted to her neck.

"Not a problem," Cloud responded, fingers delving into his pocket. "I brought some just in case."

She smirked at him, impressed. "Hoping for this were we?"

"Just being prepared," he insisted. "Well, maybe I was hoping a little."

"Well, I'm glad you did," the flower girl replied sealing her lips over his. She settled against him with a pleased sigh, pushing her hands up under his shirt and stroking across his chest. Cloud pressed his fingers along her spine, his touch delighting her. She smiled pressing her lips into his neck as he undid the buttons of her dress.

* * *

They lay together contented, too comfortable to bother with nuisance activities like getting dressed. As tempting as it was, they could not stay here all night; she was hungry and they both needed to be back before anyone missed them. With a sigh she stood, seeking out her scattered clothing.

"Aeris? I... I think I have a better answer for you now."

"Answer?" Aeris paused as she re-buttoned her dress. Cloud had pulled his pants back up but still sat topless. "An answer to what?"

He looked into her eyes. "The question you asked me back in the inn; what I think of you."

Aeris blinked, not quite sure what to say or think. She had forgotten all about her worries, her questions and her fears resulting from the unwanted meeting with Hojo. Cloud seemed to have considered the question ever since they parted this afternoon.

"You didn't need to you know," she said.

"I thought I had to," he replied with a sheepish tone.

"Well, now you have a better answer, can I hear it?"

"Okay." Cloud sucked in a deep breath. "When you asked earlier, I felt bad I gave such an unhelpful answer. I know you're worried about being an Ancient- I mean, a Cetra, and what that means in connection to Sephiroth and Jenova; especially after what happened on the ship. But when I was thinking about it, I realised I don't think of you like that. I've never thought of you as a Cetra. No matter what President Shinra was telling us about why they were so interested in you, no matter what Hojo thinks, to me you're still just Aeris. You're just you; you're a flower girl from Sector Five. I don't know if you can make flowers grow in Midgar because you're an Ancient or just because you're so good at gardening. It just doesn't matter to me. I feel bad I couldn't say this before; you're nothing like Sephiroth and you're nothing like Jenova. You're human just like me."

She looked at him in amazement, his answer washing away fears she had not realized still lingered inside her. It had not been an easy question to answer by any means but Cloud had managed it. And who better to know if she did have any similarity to the man they were chasing than one of the men who knew him before madness claimed him? Just how long had he spent thinking about that answer as he sat with the others on the beach? Would he spend that long thinking about it unless he...?

She looked deep into his eyes, seeing him calm and at ease. He did not seem to consider his response romantic or affectionate. He just wanted to give her a better answer. There did not seen to be a need to reinforce the emotional boundary between them; Cloud was unaware he had collided with it. She knew he found her attractive, and he had exhibited some signs of having a crush on her, but this was now a ways beyond that.

Aeris studied her partner as a whole. His spiky blonde hair, the blue eyes with the band of green around the pupils, soft lips that felt so good against her own or on her skin. He looked nervous at her increased scrutiny, eyes now full of worry. Now she needed to answer him. She smiled and dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you," she breathed into his ear. Her eyes closed as she felt Cloud's arms embrace her. "It is a much better answer," she said after stealing a few more moments in Cloud's embrace and pecking him on the cheek.

As they strolled back through the growing darkness, a warm glow spread inside Aeris. Cloud Strife held no fear that she might mimic Sephiroth. Cloud Strife thought her completely human.


	8. Gongaga

Reaching civilization should have given Aeris fewer things to worry about. Outdoor sex had its appeal but nothing could match the tactile comfort of soft bedding and the nude skin of Cloud Strife. Plus they now suffered from what she had begun to refer to as the 'Chance of Yuffie'. Aeris defined the phenomenon as the inopportune moment the ninja chose to appear just as she got Cloud alone. Both had become skilled at slipping away when Yuffie was otherwise distracted.

But here in Gongaga, a place she had never heard of before today, a new worry had emerged; something out of her past come back to haunt her. The connection to her was intangible, coincidental and unprovable. But try as she might she could not dismiss it. Zack had come back into her life in a way she had never anticipated. A man recognized the mako ring around Cloud's pupils, asking about his involvement with Shinra. Yes, Cloud answered, he had been in SOLDIER. The answer pleased the man and he called to his wife relating he had found a SOLDIER. She looked so pleased and asked if he knew anything about their son. Zack Fair.

The ground felt like it threatened to slide sideways as she heard the name. Coincidence. It had to be a coincidence, there must be hundreds if not thousands of Zacks on the Planet. But how many of those had been in SOLDIER? And how many had the last name 'Fair'? Too few for comfort. Likely no more than one. The Cloud's brow furrowed and he shook his head. No, he did not remember anyone with the name Zack in SOLDIER. She almost spoke out. There had been a Zack in the organization. It was a name she had been reluctant to say while sitting in a dilapidated play-park on the out-skirts of Sector Six. A name she echoed on reflex.

The man's eyes brightened and he asked if she knew their son. He had written a letter, six or seven years ago saying he had a girlfriend. Had that been her? She stuttered a denial, unsure what to say before darting away from them, her chest heaving, her head buzzing with worry. Six years ago she had been with Zack Fair. Six years ago she had been in love with Zack Fair. Six years ago she kissed Zack Fair, made love to Zack Fair. Her incongruous partner; connected back to the same shady company that had once imprisoned her. And five years ago Zack Fair had left her for someone else. Zack Fair found a new girl on that mission or soon afterwards, abandoning his slum lover to the depths of Midgar. He chose marriage with an upper-class, high society lady. He chose to not return to her, not to send even an apology, but just stop all contact for good.

Now it no longer felt quite so believable. How could Zack have moved on, found someone else and never returned to or contacted his parents? Zack had only ever mentioned his parents to her in passing, but nothing gave an impression of estrangement. And now she was less certain he had left her, that he had abandoned her. Had he instead not been able to return?

What had happened to him then? Death? Panic clutched at her heart as she tried to remember. Had she felt his soul return to the Planet? No; while she had felt more than one soul become one with the Planet, she had never felt his. Did her more intimate connection to Zack not count for some reason? Or did it mean Zack was still alive? There was another possibility; she had only been able to hear the voice of the Planet at Mom's house or in the church. Zack could have returned to the Planet while she had been elsewhere in Midgar. He could have died and she would have never known.

Her wandering steps had drawn her to the town's graveyard. She looked in amongst the head-stones, searching for a name that could not be there. If his parents had no idea what had befallen Zack then a grave was implausible. But she could not tear herself away from the monuments, the dim voice of the Planet reaching her even through the scarred ground. She tensed for a moment as she felt someone approaching, relaxing as she recognized the heavy tread of Cloud.

"Aeris..." he began, his voice laced with concern. There was a pause and then his hand settled onto her shoulder.

The contact felt good, but she could not face him. Not yet. "What a shock," she said after a moment's silence. "I didn't know Zack was from this town."

"You know the Zack they were talking about?" he asked, bewildered and confused.

"Yes. I told you just before Walk Market." With a deep breath she turned and met his mako-tinged gaze. "Zack was my first love. He's my ex. Zack Fair; SOLDIER First Class. Just like you, Cloud."

He frowned at her words. "There aren't many that make First Class. It's strange I never heard of him."

What could she say to that? How could someone like Zack have never met Cloud or else never made an impression on him? They had both been in SOLDIER at the same time and should have run into each other in the slim ranks of First Class. Not an easy problem to resolve, not without another SOLDIER to ask. She let the curiosity slide for now.

"It's been five years since I saw him last. He just went out on a mission one day and never came back." She smirked at the memory. "He was such a lady's man; he probably found someone else and settled down with them." Her assumption felt more hollow now, more like a lie to tell herself and Cloud. A movement caught her eye; in the distance Zack's parents were walking away, downcast. "I feel so sorry for his parents though; they just want to know he's okay. Or at least get some clo-closure."

"Why didn't you tell them any of this?" Cloud's voice was tight.

"Nothing I can say would help them. I was indeed Zack's girlfriend, but I can't tell them where he is or how he's doing. All I could have done is tell them I last saw him five years ago." There was a sour look on Cloud's face and he looked away from her. "Are you... jealous Cloud?" She took a step closer, staring at him, even as he tried to keep his gaze well away from hers. "It's okay Cloud, I'm just kidding around. I'm sorry."

Cloud was jealous; jealous of her former boyfriend. Jealous of the one he used to remind her of. She needed time to think. Her head whirled with a new found worry about what had happened to Zack. A worry she did not want right now. Oh, to be rid of worries, anxieties and thoughts, even for just a little while. That at least was something Cloud was well-equipped to help with. She whispered into his ear about a later meeting, relieved to see his expression relax.

Aeris allowed herself a small smile as they walked to check on Tifa. She stood alone, staring into the distance not acknowledging their presence. She had split from the group at some unknown moment after Aeris had fled. Why had her friend run from the same encounter as her? Aeris was about to speak up when Cloud beat her to it.

"Do you know Zack?" he asked. Tifa's back stiffened and she whipped around, gaze flitting between her two friends.

"N-no! I-I don't know him," she stuttered, glancing down to the ground. The worry in the martial artist's voice concerned Aeris; did Tifa somehow also know the SOLDIER?

"You have met him haven't you?" Cloud said, his voice suspicious.

"I told you, I don't know him!" Tifa replied with force.

"A-alright," Cloud said, hands raised to placate. Aeris wondered at the vehemence of the reaction. There was more to this than just pushing too hard for an answer; the subject of Zack was one Tifa was not willing to dwell on. Something about him troubled the martial artist.

Tifa heaved a sigh. "He sounds a lot like you though, doesn't he? Deciding to just up and leave town saying 'I'm going to join SOLDIER.'" She paused, on the verge of saying something more. Aeris's thoughts ran on, as she remembered just how similar Cloud and Zack were in those little specific ways. It seemed others had noticed too.

"There were a lot of guys like that back then," said Cloud, blurting the words out.

Tifa's expression softened, something seeming to shift inside her. Aeris felt relieved they had gotten away from the topic of Zack. It was almost tempting to try talking to Tifa. Perhaps not. Prying into whatever was upsetting her friend did not feel like a good idea after her reaction to Cloud.

"And you made it in, even with all the competition," Tifa continued, looking up at Cloud and grinning.

"I just got lucky," the swordsman replied.

The martial artist shook her head. "Don't be so humble." Aeris's mind still whirled with the revelations, unable or maybe unwilling to drag her thoughts away from Zack. Tifa broke the silence. "Cloud? Thanks for talking to me."

The three of them set out to rejoin the others at the inn, Avalanche overwhelming its facilities. The building was small and renting an extra room was not an option with the limited space. Aeris conceded the loss of a bed for sex, and instead began thinking of another private place she could meet Cloud. There was an abandoned structure away from the other buildings, nearer the jungle. It looked to be distant enough for her to not worry about anyone over-hearing them. Her moans had a pleasing effect on Cloud, the sound of her pleasure exciting him and speeding his thrusts. And it was thrilling to let her body just react to his touch, to not keep the risk of discovery in the back of her mind. Dependable privacy felt a refreshing change from the exhilarating, though nerve-wracking, chance of discovery.

Aeris slipped away from the inn first that evening, spreading a pilfered blanket across the floor of the abandoned hut. The floor was thick with dust around her and the whole place smelt musty. Chewing on a thumb-nail, she recalled Zack's parent's words again and again. How he had described her as his girlfriend in that letter. Was it her, or one of his other lovers? What other lovers? A chasm yawned wide in the pit of her stomach as she found herself questioning that certainty too. What if there never had been anyone else?

The sound of the door opening distracted her, Cloud checking outside before entering. She smiled, holding her arms out to him, wanting him to touch her, distract her, make her forget her worries. But when his lips met hers she thought of Zack. She broke kisses, directing her partner's lips to her neck and exposed shoulders. This foreplay reminded her much more of Cloud.

She pulled him on top of her, letting him slide between her legs, his weight on her hips as his fingers plucked at the buttons of her dress. Wriggling against him, she let out a moan as his lips touched the skin of her breast. The pleasure was fleeting. Zack used to kiss her breasts and slide his fingers across her skin. But rather than arousing her, the memories reminded how long it had been since she had seen him, since he had touched her. How long since he left Gongaga, since he had sent that letter to his parents, how they had hit on that she had known him, how she denied it. How she used to feel about Zack. How she still did.

The slim padding of the blanket did little to soften the hard floor beneath Aeris's back. She stared up at the ceiling above her; through holes in the thatch she could see out to the night sky. Cloud's body brushed against hers, bringing her back to the present. Shoving away her train of thought, she concentrated on the man lying between her legs. His still covered erection was hard against her thigh, his hands braced either side of her, his lips on her neck. She should be enjoying every second of the attention he visited upon her. Her hands should be delving beneath his shirt or pushing between their bodies to grasp his hardened cock. But not this time. Even as she tried to concentrate on Cloud's actions, the frabic of his shirt touched her skin. He wore a SOLDIER uniform. As had Zack; the man she had not been thinking of until this afternoon.

"Aeris?" A voice broke into her reminiscences. She blinked and turned her head, looking up at Cloud. Her partner rested his weight on his elbows above her. She had not touched him once, just lay there as he tried to seduce her. "Are you okay?" he asked, his face consumed with concern.

"I'm fine Cloud," she said, smiling but not feeling it. "Just a little distracted. Please. Keep going." She wrapped her arms around his waist, slipping her hands up and under his shirt. His skin felt good beneath her fingers, Cloud reacting to her touch with a stiffening of his back as she raised her head to meet his lips. Too late she remembered why she stopped him kissing her just moments before. Frustrated, she sought his neck and ear, provoking an appreciative groan. His fingers were on her bra, pulling it down to expose more of her breast to the air. Aeris closed her eyes as his lips closed around her nipple.

His mouth was warm and his tongue flicked across her nipple. It felt uncomfortable and detached. It was just contact, just a touch between bodies without a hint of eroticism; not exciting or arousing. Her mind whirled again with thoughts of Zack as she willed herself to become aroused. She wanted the moment of blankness when she climaxed, just a fleeting moment to forget everything.

"Aeris?" It took her a moment to realize Cloud was staring at her again. "Do you want me to stop?"

"N-no. I'm sorry. I haven't done anything for you." Her fingers pulled open his pants, running her fingers along his cock as Cloud moaned encouragement. She stroked him, the action reminding her of doing similar with Zack. She closed her eyes, Cloud's lips pressed against her chest, his cock in her hand, hot, hard and ready. Maybe he could help her? "Cloud? Could you help me a little?" she asked, pushing his hand down between her legs.

It was unpleasant. The motion was jerky, rough and uncomfortable. "Aeris?" Cloud spoke again. "Really, do you want me to stop? You're not wet at all."

His cock was already softening in her hand as he spoke, her lack of arousal turning him off. "I'm sure I can fix that," she replied. He had been right; she was dry, and no matter what she did she was not getting turned on, her body refusing to prepare itself for sex.

Letting out a sigh she looked up at Cloud. "I don't think I'm in the right mood for this today."

Cloud tensed and looked alarmed. "D-did I do something wrong?" he blurted, voice trembling. She shook her head.

"No, no it's me. Everything you were doing was just fine. I just need... I just need some time to think." Aeris pushed Cloud back, pulling her underwear back into place and rebuttoning her dress. He looked crestfallen and she shuffled over to him, placing a hand under his chin, tilting his head up to meet her eyes. "I mean it, you didn't do anything wrong Cloud. It's just not a great day for me today."

"You mean-" he cut himself off, looking worried and angry. He was talking about Zack.

"Yes, what we found out today really took me by surprise. I thought I was okay with it, but turns out I'm not. I think I just need some time to get it out of my system, then we can get back to normal." Cloud still looked concerned. He needed encouragement, he needed something. "How about you?" she asked, fingers tracing over his still uncovered cock. It hardened again even with just these light touches. "If you're still horny, I don't mind helping you out."

"No," he replied, pulling away from her. "Not fair on you if I'm the only one getting pleasured."

Now it was her turn to be nervous, wondering how Cloud's thoughts ran with regards to her former relationship. "I really don't mind," she insisted, fingers reaching for him again. He shook his head, hands catching hers before they could touch him. As much as she wanted to stay and assure him further, she was not going to be able to do anything for him tonight. "If you're sure Cloud?" He nodded, and she rose. "I'm sorry Cloud. I'll make it up to you. Soon. I promise." She slipped out of the door and into the darkening night, still unable to shake the memories of Zack and the words of his parents.

* * *

Conflicting emotions swirled inside Cloud. He was still horny despite declining Aeris's offer moments before. When she stopped him it had felt so final, so much like an ending. No; he had to remain hopeful. Positive. Nightmare visions of similar awkward and abortive attempts to seduce Aeris crowded his head. She would tell him it was not working, that she no longer felt it could ever work.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, worry still churning through him. He needed to get used to this. It was not as if he had not feared this day was going to come, always tried to prepare himself for the eventuality. He had hoped that one day she would remove the need for secrecy and let them be together for longer. Little more than a fleeting fancy on his part; she did not want a relationship. She told him that right at the start and spending more time with her would be as close to actual dating as made no odds. He fidgeted, aware that his erection had not quite diminished.

He was all alone here, and needed to let Aeris have enough time to get back to the inn. Did a few more minutes delay before he headed back affect anything? Sleep would prove difficult with his current mindset; masturbating would help him nod off. And doing it here would remove the need to be furtive. But he was also eager to get back to his more comfortable bed. A new stray thought entered his head. It was just possible that Aeris might want to talk to him again and in noting his absence at the inn, come back to check on him. Maybe if she found him pleasuring himself, she in turn might become aroused and then they could have sex.

Some cynical part of his head remained doubtful that his fantasy was plausible, but he ignored it. At least made for a useful fantasy to play out in his head. He kicked his boots off before shrugging his pants and underwear over his hips.


End file.
